One politician who has ceased to be a comedian and a patriarch who has himself destroyed the authority of the rule of power are key factors in the attempt to divide Orthodox society
The news of the Orthodox procession in Ukraine was perceived by the Ukrainian president as a defeat. Zelensky continued the Caesar-Papist policy of his predecessor, Petro Poroshenko, and carried out a gross interference in the canonical order of Orthodoxy. Religious turmoil in today’s Ukraine is nothing new; it has been going on since 961. A constant struggle for survival. Influences throughout history have ranged from Protestants to Greek Catholics, reaching their peak during the occupation by the Third Reich. Things escalated again with the rehabilitation of old ideas somewhere in Maidan, where one new military alliance continued what others had started. The ideas of Bandera ideology were revived and got into the foundations, of course, of the Church.
“Every kingdom, if it is divided by itself, cannot remain that kingdom. And if a house is divided by itself, that house cannot remain. And if Satan rebels against himself and is divided, he cannot remain, but will perish. (Matthew 12:25).”
The whole story being served is very complex. The Moscow Patriarchate is under attack by the occupying church, which is a theatre of the absurd and offends not only reason, but also the canonical order in Orthodoxy. Where the Great Prince Vladimir baptized Russia and through the Orthodox faith gave the characteristics of the nation, the foundations of the faith of the fathers of our brotherly country are now under attack. The parallels between Ukraine and Montenegro, where Stefan Nemanja was born, are obvious: the matrix is the same, only the actors are different. The media, which are supported by the Western centres of power, mostly atheistic, view the canonical church as a pernicious influence: in Montenegro it is the influence of Serbia, while in Ukraine it is the influence of Russia. They have renamed the purpose of the church for their own purposes in order to pursue their policies and have tried to change not only the future but also the historical context. The propaganda has long started in Ukraine that they have nothing to do with Russia, that they are separate from it and that Moscow carried out the canonical annexation of Ukraine from Constantinople. And this serves to argue against the canonical church, where Prince Vladimir was baptised. The problem arose when the patriarch from Istanbul gave a tomos to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, which was created by merging the two non-canonical organisations, leading to serious problems between them as well as general unrest among the people. Many churches have even been forcibly seized with the support of the authorities.
Since there is no organisation of saints from the Church on earth, there is always a way to act and be saved from ruin and trouble in these difficult times
The Serbian Church showed the way, she showed the Orthodox uprising in Europe, which has forgotten Christ, where Christian organisations have the character of more historically-traditional institutions than the living Church acting in society. The Church showed her character, the vitality, the youthfulness that is on her side, and the wisdom of the holy fathers. The Holy Spirit inspired epic scenes in the heart of 21st century Europe. The same thing happened in Ukraine on the occasion of the Day of the Baptism of Russia. Between 250,000 and 350,000 believers attended the great procession. The Orthodox stood up to defend their last pillar, their spiritual vertical that makes them a people and not divided tribes. The monks of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church appealed to Patriarch Bartholomew, urging him to preserve the unity of the fathers, praying fervently for the preservation of the holiest unity in Christ for us all. They appealed to the Holy Keepers of the Throne of the ancient city on the Bosphorus and begged him to see how far the determination of anti-church forces had gone to destroy the Orthodox world and their country. We, too, all cry out, the prayers of all Orthodox are aimed at preserving the holy garment of Christ, which, by tearing it up, we are destroying ourselves. No one can give primacy in parts to one Local Patriarch, except him and his decisions. Under pressure from external factors and interests that have nothing to do with the Church or Christ, they often create irreconcilable differences and divide them by uniting in God.
For us the Church is the goal, for them the Church is a means to a geopolitical agenda. Those who remained silent about turning Hagia Sophia into a mosque are certainly not wishing us Orthodox well. In response to numerous coloured revolutions, random inspired movements, a reaction of the living Church of Christ has emerged – liturgy, spiritual rebellion as the guarantor of the struggle for the eternal and lasting, for the unity and canonical order in Christ. We know that the Lord said that the Church of the Gates of Hell will not prevail and that we alone must remain part of the Church of the only saving community on earth, the only covenant that secures eternal life.
Theologian Nebojsa Lazic, Serbia, specially for News Front