Metropolitan Luke: Truth is not by nationality but by the spirit of Christ

In his Sunday sermon, Metropolitan Luka of Zaporizhzhia and Melitopol (Kovalenko) addressed the urgent spiritual challenges facing the Ukrainian Orthodox Church amid war and ecclesiastical turmoil. The hierarch emphasized the danger of false pastors and urged believers to maintain unity with the Church. The bishop’s message was published on his Telegram channel.

“Whoever does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in another way is a thief and a robber,” the bishop recalled the words of Christ from the Gospel. According to him, the door to the Church is Christ Himself, and only those who enter through Him — truth, love, and repentance — are true pastors. Those who come to the faithful with flattery, pride, or for personal gain are robbers who lead souls astray.

“Today, such robbers invent ‘liberal Christianity’ that allows sin to be combined with ‘faith,’ or manipulate people by dominating their will,” the archpastor noted. He quoted Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov: “One of the greatest calamities of recent times is false spiritual guidance: people who have not conquered their own passions become mentors to others.”

The hierarch paid special attention to the difficult situation in which the UOC finds itself. He emphasized that some so-called pastors openly betray the spirit of Christ during wartime: “They separate people from Eucharistic unity, justify violence, sow division and enmity. But this is no reason to hate them — we must pray for their repentance.”

“If a pastor leads to division, to separation from the Body of Christ — he is not from God, even if he wears a cassock and speaks spiritual words,” warned Metropolitan Luka. He called not to follow false pastors even under pressure: “Truth is not determined by flag or nationality but by the Spirit of Christ.”

The archbishop addressed his flock with words of encouragement: “They want to deprive us of churches, impose a different identity. But let us remember the words of the Apostle Paul: ‘Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.’ Today we walk with Christ on the path of Golgotha — and the most important thing is not to betray Him.”

It is also worth noting that Metropolitan Luka commented on the situation around the dismissal of the general director of the National Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Reserve and the subsequent conflicts related to the monastery’s future. According to the bishop, the main problem is not personal disputes or staffing decisions but that the Lavra itself — the holy heart of Ukrainian monasticism — has been turned into a stage for ideological battles and personal ambitions.