“The saints are above all blasphemies committed against their relics,” - UOC Chancellor

Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanych) of Boryspil and Brovary, Chancellor of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, commented on the events surrounding the Holy Dormition Kyiv Cave Monastery and the relics of the Kyiv Cave Monks. The hierarch compared what is happening to the actions of the Communists in the 1930s, noting that the believers of the UOC are now experiencing virtually the same thing that happened to the Church during the times of militant atheism in the USSR. The bishop’s comment was published on the Orthodox Life website.

“Now all believers are alarmed by another anti-church attack, namely the ‘inventory’ of the relics of the saints in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, which the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine considers ‘museum exhibits’. There is something ironic in the fact that the declared “decommunization” of Ukraine in relation to the Church exactly repeats the actions of the godless communist government, which a hundred years ago took away churches from believers in the same way and made the relics of saints into museum exhibits, often calling them atheistic. You can proclaim the most attractive slogans and provide the most reasonable evidence, but ungodly acts will remain ungodly under any slogan, because the tree is recognized by its fruit. These actions may shock a person from the outside, but for the believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, everything that is happening is just one of the episodes of the systematic persecution of the Orthodox,” — the bishop says.

The Chancellor noted that the authorities, by organizing an open fight against God, endanger not only themselves but also the Ukrainian people. At the same time, Metropolitan Anthony noted that the Kyiv Caves monks are actually experiencing what the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been living through for the past few years.

“Now, along with millions of believers, the imperishable relics of the saints are also being mocked. And this, oddly enough, only emphasizes the connection between the Church of Heaven and the Church on earth: all the saints of Kyiv-Pechersk are with us. They, who have been ascetic in different centuries of our history, are now experiencing everything that we live and that is being done to us, the Christians of the twenty-first century. Today, as never before, we feel united with our holy ancestors — with the Monks of the Caves, whose relics are once again being blasphemed, with our grandparents, many of whom confessingly survived the years of godless power, with the new martyrs, many of whom are our earthly relatives. And we know that unity is a great strength. However, the oppressors do not realize it. The world is ruled by God. And this is an axiom. The main thing is to recognize the power of God by everyone, especially those to whom the Lord gave or allowed His power over specific nations for a short time. This is the key to the prosperity of any nation and any state. If people in power fight against God and His saints, they put themselves at risk. Everyone remembers the story of the biblical Pharaoh, who, despite being admonished by the Lord, continued to persecute God’s people. And this is a warning to all the oppressors of believers from the beginning of time to the present day. God is never dishonored. The saints are above all blasphemies committed against their relics. And you and I, being in a state of oppression, remember that even if someone has power over our earthly bodies, he has no power over our immortal souls,” — the Metropolitan added.

Earlier, we reported that Greek theologian and canonist Presbyter Anastasios Gotsopoulos appealed to the Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches to protest the desecration of shrines in the Kyiv Cave Monastery.