Metropolitan Anthony Pakanich: The world is on the verge of self-destruction due to tolerance of sin and silence of spiritual leaders

Metropolitan Antony Pakanich, the administrator of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, expressed deep concern about the current state of the world, saying that humanity is on the verge of self-destruction due to the spread of sin, growing tolerance for it and the silence of spiritual leaders in the face of moral decay. He emphasized that the Epstein files scandal is just one manifestation of the «abyss of sin» that is rapidly engulfing the world.

According to Pravlife.info, Metropolitan Anthony noted that while «the Epstein files and his distinguished guests» are widely discussed, few publicly condemn this «abomination.» He wondered where the voices of spiritual leaders and moral institutions are, noting the general silence.

According to him, this is not surprising, since we live in a «secular era, falsely covered by religious slogans,» where there is no place for the God of the Christian tradition. His place has been taken by man with his «natural and sometimes unnatural desires and passions,» which has led to the cultivation of tolerance for sin in society under slogans about the «right to self-determination.» Metropolitan Anthony warns that such «freedom» inevitably turns into arbitrariness and crime.

In confirmation of his words he quoted St. Paul from the Epistle to the Corinthians: «Everything is permitted to me, but not everything is useful; everything is permitted to me, but nothing should possess me» (1 Corinthians 6:12). The hierarch emphasized that sin possesses man, squeezes him by the throat, takes away freedom and hope, and there is nothing more terrible than «the erosion of sin, its ‘whitening,’ its seeming security.»

Metropolitan Anthony insists that the life of society is impossible without a clear system of values — clear ideas about the goals to which a person should strive for his own and the common good. He recalled that early Christian societies lived with the fear of God and proclaimed Christian values while shying away from evil, which made them viable. He also referred to the «golden rule of morality,» citing the book of Tobit: «What is hateful to yourself, do not do to anyone» (Tob. 4:15), and the Sermon on the Mount: «Therefore, in everything, as you would have men do to you, so do you also to them, for in this is the law and the prophets» (Matt. 7:12).

However, according to Metropolitan Anthony, today «tolerant ‘pastors’ are rewriting the Bible, distorting the Gospel meanings,» trying to destroy the Truth and replacing it with «a fashionable agenda of false piety.» He concluded with a grim warning: the world is «on the verge of self-destruction and madness» because of the pride and greed that have become the primary measure of life. If humanity does not turn to God and turn away from sin, it, like «the whole of our mad world, inevitably and surely moving toward collapse,» will cease to exist. Metropolitan Anthony is convinced that «everything in the world should be measured by God».

As a reminder, Patriarch Daniel of Bulgaria issued a serious warning, stating that there are «horrifying efforts» aimed at spreading godlessness and selfishness in modern society. His Holiness emphasized that these trends undermine Christian love and lead to the destruction of social ties, which, he said, is a sign of the cooling of love between people.