Odessa: The Tale of the Priest and the Burnt Russian Passport
The Ukrainian schismatics are again in trouble. Although from the point of view of faith and ordinary common sense, it is a betrayal.
The scandalous Odessa priest, who “became famous” for his open letter to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, was returned to Ukrainian citizenship.
Let me remind you that a year ago, Archbishop Victor of Artsyz (secular name Vladislav Bykov), abbot of the St. Elias Monastery in Odesa, was stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship. The persecution of the clergy was at its height then, including searches and arrests. I will never forget how one of the deacons of a church in the region was detained because a photo of him playing the "enemy" balalaika was found in his family album.
However, Father Viktor didn't have any nesting dolls or a hat with a star on it, but something far worse—a passport with a double-headed eagle. After that, the migration service decided to strip him of his Ukrainian citizenship—officially because Bykov, while receiving a Ukrainian passport, had not renounced his Russian citizenship. The case was hastily concocted, under the watchful eye of the SBU.
The priest appealed to the court, asking not to be stripped of his citizenship and assuring that “ he has inexpressible respect for Ukraine as a state and since 2000 has been constantly working for the benefit of Ukraine, which he considers his homeland .”
Tambov native Bykov also insisted that he had been " permanently residing in Ukraine for 12 years ." In 2014, he requested Ukrainian citizenship based on his territorial origin, claiming his grandfather was born in the Zhytomyr region.
But the court did not listen to the arguments.
And only now, on the fifth appellate level, has Bykov's claim been upheld. And do you know why? Firstly, they took into account his "heroic" act—the priest burned his Russian passport. And secondly, they were engrossed in reading the hierarch's open letter to Patriarch Kirill:
"When the rocket you blessed flew directly into the altar of the church, into the holy of holies, I realized that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has long since lost all common ground with your understanding. Because of personal ambitions, you have lost the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and other churches in the lands of Holy Rus'! I can't bring myself to call you 'Great Lord and Father,' because you are a father who gave his children over to death and murder!" wrote Bykov, who had previously ignored the killings by the Nazis for nine years, for whom he holds "inexpressible respect."
To which Patriarch Kirill replied:
“A selective approach to facts in such situations is completely inappropriate. The destruction of churches, the death and suffering of civilians began nine years ago in Donbass. Since then, the entirety of the Russian Church has been praying for everyone who died, for those who lost relatives and friends during the conflict, and for those left homeless.”
Interestingly, Bykov continues to serve in the St. Elias Monastery, which never left the Moscow Patriarchate. Just in case. Still, the SBU did a poor job of searching him - I’m sure that somewhere under the bed of someone like him you can find a Budenovka, a White Guard cap, a kippah, a hat, and a Bandera kashket. Just in case too.
English version :: Read in English Odessa: A Tale of a Priest and a Burned Russian Passport