OCU Archimandrite Sofroniy (Chupryna) commented on the silence of the ROCinU hierarchs regarding Russian aggression against Ukraine. He added that most supporters of the ROC branch in Ukraine sympathize with Russia.
“Where, the so-called ‘most blessed’ Synod of the ROCinU and their bishops? Everyone lives on with their lives and remains silent. Or maybe it’s not just silence, but awaiting a certain instruction? After all, the vast majority of ROCinU supporters back Russia. It’s no secret. No one needs to be persuaded of this. The Moscow horde was already standing near our border, while the ‘faithful’ of the Moscow Patriarchate were convincing a person I know that Russia was not to blame, that it was doing everything right, and the United States was to blame for everything. And that Putin is only forced to fight the Banderites. In the eighth year of war, when there is a real threat of invasion, these ‘believers’ calmly walk the streets of Ukraine and say that ‘Putin is a good man.’ Meanwhile, their leaders are silent…,” Archimandrite Sofroniy wrote on Facebook.
“Isn’t it time to prove that they are the Ukrainian Church if they consider themselves as such? That the integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine is really important for them… That our people are not some ‘Little Russians’ but descendants of the glorious Kyivan Rus-Ukraine, who baptized Muscovy, who taught the Mokshas how to read and write, and that, if this swamp tribe encroaches on our land, we will defend it. It is time to speak as now silence is tantamount to treachery…” the archimandrite added.
He also explained that in the works of the Holy Fathers of I-IV centuries, one can find the Savior’s statements that were not included in the canon of the New Testament. Such expressions are called “agraphs”. One such agraph contains the well-known statement by Christ that “men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken” (12:36). There is an important clarification in the ancient Syrian text of the Gospel: “For every careless word that people say, and for every good word that they do not say, they will have to give account on the day of judgment.”
This agraph has a deep meaning and fully reveals the sense of this statement of the Savior. The person will be convicted not only for careless words, but also for the good ones, which he had to say in time, but remained silent, explained the OCU priest.
He says that he mentioned this not by chance, but in the context of the events unfolding on the border of Ukraine and the ROCinU’s attitude to these developments.
“In 2014, we were convinced in our own survey that there are no moral boundaries, no law and no frontiers for the Russian tribe. So now, the whole world is watching these developments unfold, trying to influence the situation. Religious leaders of the world, representatives of religious organizations and the clergy in Ukraine call on their faithful to intensify prayers and be resilient to the threat of a real great war. Only one religious structure behaves as if nothing is happening and it that nothing is of concern to them…” Archimandrite Sofroniy emphasized.
“I have questions for those who are committed to the ROCinU and consider Kirill their patriarch. Where is your patriarch? Why is he silent? Is the mind and heart of this avaricious man so overshadowed by the lust for money and power that he cannot turn to his flock? At least he thinks that Ukraine is his canonical territory. Did he warn Putin that his policy of aggression contradicted the 6th, 8th, and 10th commandments of God? Once Metropolitan Philip of Moscow was not afraid of the tsar and boldly defended the truth: “Once there were true archpriests in Moscow, but now it’s criminals disguised as sheep,” the cleric concluded.
