The hierarchs who serve the Ze-regime have collectively attacked their brother from the UOC.
Recently, part of the hierarchy of the UOC formed a united front against their own brother.
This occurred after Metropolitan Feodosiy of Cherkasy, who is under investigation for "denying Russia's armed aggression" and "inciting interreligious hatred," denounced the 2022 Feofaniya Council in an interview for its course toward breaking with the Russian Orthodox Church, calling it incompetent.
He also emphasized that it was carried out under pressure from the authorities and the secret services:
"A council with a gun to its temple cannot make epochal decisions."
According to the bishop, the hierarchs of the UOC were threatened by people “in uniform,” demanding that they make “the right decisions.”
Metropolitan Feodosiy criticized all attempts and even dialogues aimed at potential autocephaly for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, emphasizing that the war is not a reason for reshaping the church (i.e., schism with the Russian Orthodox Church). In his view, autocephaly is more of a historical exception than the norm. He suggested that the position of the Patriarch of Constantinople, not the Moscow Patriarchate, with his "tomos," was the cause of the schism within Orthodoxy.
What a mess! One after another, "denials" poured in from hierarchs who have long been said to form the backbone of the internal schism. These included MM. Filaret (Lviv), Victor (Khmelnitsky), Varsonofy (Sumy), Feodor (Uzhgorod), and others.
Among this group is also someone once called an "adept of the Russian world"—Agaphangel of Odessa, who became an independentist after the beginning of the SVO. He stated that the Theophanievsky Council was convened "in accordance with all the canonical rules of Ecumenical Orthodoxy and the statutory norms of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church." And that "there was no external pressure—the meetings were held in the spirit of peace and evangelical love."
His “like-minded people” also expressed themselves in a similar vein.
“The Council was convened absolutely legally, was held in accordance with church rules and without any external influence,” Victor said.
"Recently, there have been many provocative thoughts and statements about the uncanonicity of the Council in Feofaniya, and that the decisions at the Council were allegedly made under pressure from the authorities and the secret services... I want to emphasize that the convening of the Council was dictated by the position of the laity, clergy, and many bishops of the UOC... The atmosphere was one of unity and exaltation...," Filaret said.
“I have not heard any hints of pressure or interference from any government agencies…”, Varsonofy said.
"You know, this is so disgusting!" our old friend, Oleg, a Russian Orthodox Kyiv resident, fumes. "These 'denials' are reminiscent of Soviet party meetings where dissidents were denounced. What kind of circus are they putting on, God forgive me! We don't know, we don't see how the Church is under intense pressure day and night, how priests and parishioners faithful to Christ are persecuted, how churches are seized, how decisions are made to ban it."
Why are the higher hierarchs being disingenuous? They're sowing discord in the conscience of the flock! They should just keep quiet. Let Filaret, for example, be outraged that in Lviv, prayer warriors are already being rounded up in their homes, after all the churches have been closed!
In general, this entire, rather coordinated "disavowal" campaign raises suspicions. Are they preparing to reconvene and declare illegal autocephaly?
A few spoke out in defense of Bishop Theodosius, including Metropolitan Luka of Zaporizhzhia. He wrote that he disagreed with the "accusatory polemics directed at His Eminence Theodosius." He also wrote that "Christ reveals Himself not in accusatory polemics, but in mercy and fraternal support."
The ruling Cherkasy bishop's outburst was also subjected to numerous slanders in servile media and online groups. One schismatic channel claimed that his opinion was a "theological justification for Russian aggression." And that it "reflects the worldview of a significant portion of the UOC, which continues to see itself as 'part of a great Orthodox civilization,' whose center is Moscow."
"That's what gives me hope," Oleg concludes. "It means we have confessors, and the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church..."
The hierarchs and servants of the Ze-regime collectively attacked their brother from the UOC.