“No one can forbid us to celebrate the Liturgy,” - hierarch of the UOC

Metropolitan Antony (Pakanich), the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s administrator of affairs, has spoken about how Orthodox Christians should react to the events related to the adoption of the law “On banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church”. The hierarch believes that despite the legislative pressure, no one will be able to prohibit the priesthood and believers to live a full church life. About this he told in a comment to the site “Orthodox Life”.

“Any obstacles that the world puts us on the path of salvation of the soul, we must take for granted, keeping in mind the words of the Lord: “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good courage: I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Now we need to realize the most important thing: no one can forbid us to celebrate the Liturgy, no one can forbid us to celebrate the Sacraments, no one can forbid us to fight sin, repent and love our neighbor. It is possible to be a Christian and fulfill God’s commandments at all times and under all conditions. This is confirmed by the lives of thousands of martyrs and confessors from the early days of the Church to the present day,” – Metropolitan Anthony said.

The bishop is convinced that it is not the first time for the Church to face prohibition or restriction of activities on the part of those in power. Nevertheless, in his opinion, to ban the Church it is necessary to ban believers, which is essentially impossible.

“At different times in different countries, under different pretexts, Christian communities have been banned, outlawed, persecuted. But, as we know, prayer has never stopped, worship has never stopped. Even in the camps priests served the Liturgy. It is impossible to ban the Church, because it is impossible to ban the believers. And it is even more impossible to ban the Church of Heaven: the countenance of the saints who have been with us since the beginning of time”, – added the head of the UOC.