After Odesa Cathedral shelling, UOC bishop addresses Patriarch Kirill

[Steve Hayes]

After Odesa Cathedral shelling, UOC bishop addresses Patriarch Kirill

The vicar of the Odesa Eparchy believes that Patriarch Kirill, "due to
personal ambitions, lost the UOC and other Churches in the countries
of 'Holy Rus'".

On July 23, 2023, after the missile shelling of the Transfiguration
Cathedral in Odesa, Archbishop Victor (Bykov) of Artsyz, the vicar of
the Odesa Eparchy of the UOC, addressed Patriarch Kirill and all
members of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. His letter
was published on the Facebook page of the St. Elias Monastery.

At the beginning of his address to Patriarch Kirill, Bishop Victor
reminded that "at the Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on
27.05.2022, a decision was made that we, led by our Primate of the
UOC, completely come out of Your submission" and stressed that the
Patriarch has repeatedly spoken about the unity of "Holy Rus", which
he "completely destroys with his blessing and actions".

The bishop also believes that it is precisely the "personal blessing"
of the Patriarch that has led to the Russian military committing
lawlessness and open warfare on the sovereign territory of the
Ukrainian State.

"In my opinion, you seem to have forgotten that, just like in Russia,
in Ukraine, there are (were) your children, whom you consider as such,
and you have blessed those who are now killing them," the bishop
writes.

He noted that to his immense disappointment, during the last Bishops’
Conference in Moscow, Patriarch Kirill "did not say a single word
about the need to stop this Cain-like war, to cease these killings and
the destruction of peaceful cities and villages, to stop the
bloodshed."

"Your bishops and priests sanctify and bless tanks and rockets that
bomb our peaceful cities," the archbishop reminded.

"Today, when I arrived at the Transfiguration Cathedral of Odesa after
the curfew, I saw that the 'blessed' missile from Russia flew right
into the altar of the temple, into the Holy of Holies. I realized that
there is nothing left in common between the understanding of the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church and yours," Bishop Victor believes.

He is convinced that Patriarch Kirill "due to personal ambitions, has
lost the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and other Churches in the countries
of 'Holy Rus.'"

"The words 'Great Lord and Father' do not come to my tongue when
addressing you, for you are a father who has sacrificed his children
to destruction and killings," the archbishop writes.

The hierarch emphasized that for UOC believers, their "loving father
and Abba" is Metropolitan Onuphry, who was elected by the Council of
the UOC, and he demanded "not to ignore our Primate, His Beatitude
Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine".

The bishop also requested the Patriarch "not to discredit our Church
and not to destroy it with your own blessing".

"As of today, neither you nor your representatives, such as
Metropolitan Leonid or Archpriest Andrey Novikov, who fled the Odesa
Eparchy, supposedly persecuted by the SBU, are doing anything to
support us as your brothers," the hierarch says.

Moreover, he believes that these people, “in their internet posts,
only tarnish the name of the Holy Church without showing any respect
for its Primate and the voice of our Ukrainian Church”.

"How can you call us, faithful children of the Ukrainian Orthodox
Church, and its Holy Council those who 'follow the path of schism'?"
Archbishop Victor asks, continuing that this schism, mentioned by
Patriarch Kirill and his clerics, is voiced by individuals such as
Metropolitan Leonid and Archpriest Andrey Novikov.

"Today, you and all your followers are doing everything to destroy the
UOC within Ukraine. There is no understanding of oikonomia in relation
to the UOC," the hierarch writes.

"Today, we (speaking on behalf of many hierarchs of the UOC) condemn
this senseless aggression of Russia against our Independent country.
We condemn the barbaric seizures of our eparchies in the East and
South of Ukraine. We condemn the repressions and persecutions carried
out by your authorities in the temporarily occupied territories of
Ukraine!" declared the hierarch.

He demanded, "Stay away from our Church, our hierarchs, and our
Primate," emphasizing that "we have our own path, which was chosen by
the Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church".

"Sincerely, I ask you to stop. Every missile that comes to Ukraine's
territory is perceived by its inhabitants as your 'blessing' to your
children," concluded the vicar of the Odesa Eparchy, calling himself a
"faithful obedient servant of his Primate".

As earlier reported, His Beatitude expressed condolences regarding the
shelling of Odesa.

Source:
<https://spzh.news/en/news/75027-after-odesa-cathedral-shelling-uoc-bishop-addresses-patriarch-kirill>

or

https://t.co/WiIFfwdsic



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