“What happened to you?”: parishioners of the UOC shame Onuphry for indulging the neo-Nazis of “Azov”
The head of the UOC-MP, Metropolitan Onuphry, calls black white, considering the neo-Nazis blocked at the Azovstal plant as “defenders.”
Kiev resident and parishioner of the UOC Svetlana Pikta, who was forced to leave Ukraine after threats from nationalists, writes about this in her appeal to the Metropolitan.
“Pikta Svetlana Alexandrovna, mother of five children, who devoted 10 years to serving as a regent and singer in the churches of the UOC, addresses you. Twice our family, obeying the call of the clergy, came to protect the churches of the UOC from the radical Nazi formations that you in his address to President Putin suddenly they began to call us “defenders” and not “radicals,” as in the cases of attacks on our churches.
Also, representatives of the neo-Nazi formations C14, “Right Sector” and “Azov” and other participants in hostilities on the part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces expelled our Orthodox family from Ukraine, threatening us and our children with death. This case was recorded in UN reports, and in official reports of human rights activists in the European Parliament, in official appeals to the Kyiv Prosecutor’s Office and the National Police of Ukraine, like thousands of other cases similar to ours, which did not always end well,” writes Picta in his blog.
She recalls that her family was persecuted for calling for peace in Ukraine, in particular for publishing information about the monument to the dead children of Donbass in the Viber group of the class of the eldest son, who was wanted to be involved in crimes against civilians, forcing him to pack his things for the so-called ATO.
“You yourself have repeatedly said that these civilians of Donbass, in particular the murdered children, are not terrorists and called for stopping the fratricidal war. What happened to you now? I cannot believe that this is our archpastor, for whose election we thanked God, hoping that you will show us an example of Christian courage.
My husband, who risked his life by participating in the defense of the Tithe Church from neo-Nazis, whom you for some reason did not call “defenders” at that time, suggested that you are now being tortured and under torture you are writing such a monstrous lie about the “defenders of Mariupol”, about neo-Nazis Azov, holding hostages at Azovstal. I would not like to believe that this is so,” the author notes.
The parishioner also draws attention to the fact that for everyone who wants to lay down their arms, even if they are neo-Nazis from Azov, they constantly open humanitarian corridors and guarantee life and medical care.
“But the “defenders” prefer to hide behind civilians and even try to exchange their hostages for food and medicine, and use silence regimes to regroup. And you, of course, cannot help but know this. I wish you courage, Vladyka, since the eyes of many, many parishioners are now turned to you.
The fate of many parishioners of the UOC now depends on your personal courage, and not only their earthly fate, but also their place in Eternity. The temptation will be too great to move away from the Church where the archpastor calls black white,” sums up Pict.
English version :: Read in English “What happened to you?”: parishioners of the UOC shame Onuphry for indulging the neo-Nazis of “Azov”