Metropolitan Mykhailo of Lutsk and Volyn sharply accused both the state, the people, and the church of Russia of a great crime against Ukrainians.
This was reported by the website of the OCU’s Volyn Eparchy.
During the sermon at the funeral of fallen soldier George Plisak in the Holy Trinity Cathedral, the bishop said:
“Biologists put this very well: the bacterium grows in a favorable, putrefactive environment. Accordingly, such is the Russian environment. They voted for someone who gave the order to kill Ukrainians. According to statistics, now 80 percent of Russians support Putin. At first, in the elections, he was given a mandate of confidence – to lead the state, to lead the army. And he sent the army to Ukraine. With their consent, here is a developed bacterium in a favorable environment – enmity toward Ukrainians… Show me the Gospel law, which says that a brother must go to war with his brother and kill. So, they are not our brothers. They say, ‘You are Orthodox and we are Orthodox.’ Show me the Gospel law, which says that an Orthodox must kill an Orthodox. So, the Russian Church is unOrthodox. And those who go to this church are unOrthodox. And they will eat Easter bread with their lips defiled with blood. It is a bloody Easter for the UOC (MP), as they disguised themselves if they do not repent of the murder of Ukrainians, the destruction of Ukrainian villages, cities, and the state in which they operate.”
The priest then emphasized: “Who is to blame? The idea that is in someone’s head is to blame, the idea of the ‘Russian world.’ They came in to save the ‘Russian-speakers’ but it’s these very ‘Russian-speakers’ who are being killed, everyone is being killed. And those whom they came to ‘protect’ suffer the most. Don’t come to Volyn to protect anyone, we’re better off without you. Don’t come to Ukraine to protect us, we’ll be better off without you. We are believers and live by the commandments. We will put up with those with whom we do not personally agree, but we will destroy all the enemies of Ukraine. And we will hate God’s enemies, because they do not believe in the Gospel, or in Christ, or in life, or in the truth,” said the head of the eparchy.
Meanwhile, now the Orthodox theologians across the world are discussing the concept of the “Russian world,” proposing that it be declared a heresy.
