One politician who has ceased to be a comedian, Zelenskiy and the patriarch, who himself destroyed the authority of the rule of power, are key factors in the attempt to sever Orthodox communion.
Serbian expert Theologian Nebojsa Lazic shared this opinion especially for News Front.
According to theologian Nebojša Lazic, the President of the country perceived the news of the Orthodox procession in Ukraine as a defeat. Zelensky continued the Caesar-papist policy of his predecessor, Petro Poroshenko, and carried out gross interference in the canonical order of Orthodoxy. Religious riots on the territory of today’s Ukraine are not new, they have been going on since 961.
Constant struggle for survival. Influences have varied throughout history, from Protestants to Greek Catholics, who peaked during the occupation by the Third Reich. Everything escalated again with the rehabilitation of old ideas somewhere on the Maidan, where one new military alliance continued what others had begun. The ideas of Bandera’s ideology were revived and got into the foundations, of course, in the Church.
“Each kingdom, if divided by itself, cannot remain this kingdom. And if a house is divided by itself, this house cannot stay. And if Satan rebelles against himself and is divided, he cannot stay, but will perish” (Matthew 12:25).
The whole story served is very complex. The Moscow Patriarchate is under attack as an occupying church, which is a theater of the absurd and almost offends reason, but also the canonical order in Orthodoxy.
Where the Grand Duke Vladimir baptized Russia and through the Orthodox faith gave the characteristics of the nation, the foundations of the faith of the fathers of our fraternal country are being attacked. The parallels between Ukraine and Montenegro, where Stefan Nemanja was born, are obvious, the matrix is the same, only there are other actors. The media that support Western centers of power, mostly atheistic, view the canonical church as a pernicious influence, in Montenegro – the influence of Serbia, and in Ukraine – as Russia. They would rename the purpose of the church for their own needs, in order to pursue their policies, and would try to change not only the future, but also the historical context. In Ukraine, propaganda began long ago that they had nothing to do with Russia, that they were separated from it and that Moscow carried out the canonical annexation of Ukraine from Constantinople, and this serves as an argument for the dismantling of the canonical church where Prince Volodymyr was baptized.
The problem arose when the patriarch from Istanbul gave a tomos to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, which was created through the merger of two non-canonical organizations, which led to serious problems both between them and to general unrest among the people. Many churches were even forcibly seized with the support of the authorities.
Since there is no organization of saints from the Church on earth, there is always a way to act and be saved from ruin and misfortune in these difficult times. The Serbian Church showed the way, it showed the Orthodox uprising in Europe, which forgot Christ, in which Christian organizations have the character of more historically traditional institutions than the living Church operating in society. The church showed its character, vitality, youth, which is on its side, and the wisdom of the holy fathers. The Holy Spirit has 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 Rus. The great procession was attended by between 250,000 and 350,000 believers. The Orthodox have defended their last pillar, their spiritual vertical, which makes them a people, not divided tribes. The monks of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church made a special appeal to Patriarch Bartholomew, urging him to preserve the unity of the fathers, fervently praying for the preservation of the most holy unity in Christ for all of us.
They turned to the Holy Guardians of the Throne of the ancient city on the Bosphorus and begged him to see him, to see how far the indecision of the anti-church forces had gone to destroy the Orthodox world and their country. We all also cry out, the prayers of all Orthodox are aimed at preserving the holy clothes of Christ, which, having torn apart, we destroy ourselves.
No one can give priority in parts to one Local Patriarch, except for him and his decisions. Under the pressure of external factors and interests that have nothing to do with the Church or Christ, they often create irreconcilable differences and divide them, uniting in God.
For us, the Church is a goal, for them the Church is a means of achieving the geopolitical agenda. Those who were silent about the transformation of Hagia Sophia into a mosque, of course, do not wish us, Orthodox, well. In response to numerous color revolutions, random inspired movements, a reaction arose of the living Church of Christ – a liturgy, a spiritual rebellion, as the guarantor of the struggle for the eternal and lasting, for unity and canonical order in Christ.
We know that the Lord said that the Church of the Gates of Hell will not triumph, and only we must remain a part of the Church of the only saving community on earth, the only covenant that ensures eternal life.