The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epifaniy, has published an address on the Russo-Ukrainian war and discussions of a peaceful resolution of conflict. The head of the OCU emphasized the spiritual aspects of the confrontation and warned against compromising moral principles.
“Despite the various circumstances and trials that our earthly life is full of, we must firmly and unwaveringly stand on the side of truth, clearly separating it from lies and deception, distinguishing between good and evil, light and darkness, God and the devil,” Metropolitan Epifaniy emphasized.
He particularly stressed the need to call things by their right names: “All things must be called by their right names: crimes are crimes, aggression is aggression, war is war. Evil and good can never ‘come to terms’, light and darkness can never ‘reconcile’, because their nature, purpose of existence, action, and consequences are essentially opposite.”
In his philosophical reflection on the current developments, the Primate turned to fundamental spiritual categories: “There is light, because it has its own source of origin, but there is no darkness, because it does not have its own nature of existence, its own source of life. Darkness is only the absence of light, and the less light, the greater the darkness. Similarly, evil: it does not exist as an essence, evil is the absence of good. That is why evil is incapable of creation, of good, it only destroys what has already been created. So how can one try to reconcile, to unite such incompatible things?…”
Addressing the current discussions of the possible end of the war, Metropolitan Epifaniy expressed a categorical position: “Currently, various discussions are ongoing regarding the establishment of peace in this cruel war of the aggressor against our state, regarding reconciliation, ‘mutually beneficial concessions,’ etc. In these discussions, it is important not to forget the truth, that it is impossible to ‘reconcile’ good with evil, that true peace is the victory of good, and it is not will be possible without eliminating the very cause of war, the cause of this evil.”
“Peace is not a pause, a temporary ceasefire, a truce, an excuse for evil, or endless ‘peace negotiations’ and attempts to equalize the attacker and its victims. After all, these actions will not change the essence of the aggressor, will not eliminate evil. A true, just and reliable peace cannot be established at the cost of renouncing the truth, because then ‘half-truth’, deception and lies will prevail,” the head of the OCU summed up.
Concluding his address, the Primate appealed to Christian teaching: “Light and darkness, good and evil, cannot be mixed. According to the testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ, there cannot be peace and unity between good and evil, between darkness and light. There cannot be peace with the devil. Evil does not disappear by itself – it must be countered.”
