Abbess Seraphima Shevchyk: "Our priests are not trusted as chaplains, but we remain patriots"

Abbess Seraphima Shevchyk, commenting on public attitudes toward the Ukrainian Orthodox Church during wartime, acknowledged that the state does not “trust” UOC clergy to serve as chaplains. Despite obstruction, accusations, and prejudice, she emphasizes that believers and clergy remain calm, loyal to their homeland, and actively support the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Her remarks were made in an interview for the YouTube channel “Intent. Interview”.

“Our priests are not trusted to serve as chaplains,” she said. “But we take this calmly, as we do with all the difficult moments associated with the UOC. We understand the nature of this rejection and even the aggression directed toward us. It would be nice if things changed, but knowing where this stems from, we don’t dramatize.”

In her view, this bias is partly a result of associations with the Russian Orthodox Church. “The Russian Orthodox Church used to behave normally,” she recalls. “But I was horrified when I heard Patriarch Kirill call the war against us ‘sacred.’ No one could respond to that calmly. But this will pass. Respect and authority will return. We are patriots — deeply patriotic Ukrainians. We do a great deal to help the Armed Forces.”

It was also previously reported that Abbess Seraphima (Shevchyk), head of the Synodal Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church “Church and Culture,” commented on the law No. 3894 passed by the Verkhovna Rada, by which the state intends to completely ban the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. According to her, the law is written based on high democratic standards and does not apply to the UOC.