Metropolitan Anthony: Because of the sanctions, we will not love our Motherland less

Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary, the head of the UOC, commented on the sanctions of the National Security and Defense Council that were imposed on him and other clergy of the Church the day before. The video was published on the Bishop’s YouTube channel on December 13, 2022, according to the Information and Education Department of the UOC.

The bishop recalled the words of St. John Chrysostom that when people want to fight with God, they do it through a fight with His servants, thinking at the same time that by such actions they will defeat God himself and not realizing that it is impossible to fight God.

“Whoever tried to do this always got himself defeated. Yes, slanders can be raised against clergy and faithful servants of God, they can be thrown some compromising leaflet, and today any information can be put into a computer. Create some so-called fake, in order to publicly ridicule, restrict rights or even condemn and shoot, quarter, hang, crucify, drown. So it was under Nero in the 1st century, so it was under Diocletian in the 4th century, so it was under Lenin, Stalin, Yezhov in the early twentieth century. Unfortunately, we see the beginning of such manifestations at the beginning of the 21st century. — moreover, to the applause and joy of those who call themselves not just a Christian, but an Orthodox Christian,” said the hierarch of the UOC.

He explained the purpose of such actions: “First, to compromise the Church and its ministers, so that public opinion is 100% opposed to the canonical Church, and no one even thinks of defending it. And then it will be possible to calmly seize churches and monasteries, remove parishes and diocesan administrations from registration.”

According to him, although «the project of such actions seems attractive and realistic to secular political scientists and non-religious politicians, it is utopian and indicates that these political scientists, completely ignorant of church history, do not feel the essence of church life.»

“The people know their shepherds not from television or Internet messages, but from real deeds. It is possible to deceive people who do not go to church, but judge us only through the media. But church people who live by the grace of the Spirit of God, who are the bearers of Church Tradition, cannot be turned off the true path so easily,” His Eminence emphasized.

The business manager reminded that every true Christian, regardless of rank and position, lives by the motto that the holy Apostle Paul once said: “For me, life is Christ, and death is property.”

“Therefore, one, two, three priests or bishops can be imprisoned or even killed, but dozens of new ones will appear in their place. You can take away, close the churches of the canonical Church or transfer them to another structure, but Christians who have tasted the sweetness of the truth and love of Christ will not go there. They will pray in cellars, apartments or garages. It has happened before in history, and it can happen today,” he said.

In the end, Metropolitan Anthony assured everyone that “because of the sanctions, we will not love our Motherland less, this is the land of our ancestors, and we will do everything so that it flourishes, and the Ukrainian people live in peace and love for God and neighbor.”