Attacks on canonical UOC spark protests in Greece

The violent seizures of monasteries and churches and the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) supported by the Ukrainian authorities have caused widespread outrage in Greece. Hundreds of protest messages were sent to the Greek publication Vima Orthodoxias after it published about the mistreatment of the canonical Church. The attempted expulsion of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphrius of Kyiv and All Ukraine, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, has also provoked outrage among Greek hierarchs and politicians, but the official position of the Hellenic Church remains wait-and-see amid geopolitical pressures. OrthoChristian reports that.

Ukrainian authorities recently revoked the citizenship of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphrius, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is seen by many as a precursor to his deportation. Analysts see this as the culmination of a deliberate strategy to eliminate any alternative church center opposing the schismatic church established by Patriarch Bartholomew with the support of Ukrainian and U.S. authorities. Over the past six months, dozens of historic monasteries have reportedly been seized, monks forcibly expelled, and holy relics moved without the consent of the communities. Footage from Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, where security forces forced monks to leave their cells, only confirms accusations of a «methodical plan to eradicate canonical Orthodoxy in Ukraine.»

Although many Greek bishops have privately expressed deep concern about what is happening, the Holy Synod of the Hellenic Church has yet to take an official position. According to sources, the Greek Foreign Ministry is pressing for restraint so as not to upset the geopolitical balance and weaken Athens’ support for Zelenski’s government. In general, the Hellenic Church recognizes the schismatic PCU, which is known to be actively involved in persecuting the canonical UOC, although a number of influential Greek bishops categorically reject its legitimacy.

Behind the closed doors of the Hellenic Church, the voices of dissent are multiplying. One high-ranking hierarch said in an interview with vimaorthodoxias.gr, «We all know that Metropolitan Onuphrius is suffering unjustly. A hierarch who has dedicated his life to Ukraine cannot be deprived of citizenship. However, the current geostrategic balances do not allow us to talk about this openly.» A metropolitan from Greek Macedonia at a closed-door meeting touched on «the identification of Orthodoxy with geopolitical imperatives.» The hierarch from Crete warned that «silence will be recorded in History as complicity.» Another senior bishop remarked that «people see the looting and wonder why we are silent.» Political figures from virtually all Greek parties have also expressed concern about the developments, with opposition MPs speaking of «gross violations of human rights» and government representatives saying that «Greece is closely monitoring the situation.»

The silence of the Hellenic Church has led to a significant disconnect with the faithful. Many members of the lower clergy have openly expressed their outrage. Protosyncellus of a provincial metropolis noted, «If we were seeing similar pictures in another country, we would undoubtedly speak of persecution. Why do we pretend not to notice it in Ukraine?». Analysts warn that while silence may seem convenient today, in the future it will be seen as direct complicity. «History rarely forgives those who remain silent in the face of persecution,» summarized political analyst Petros Georgiadis.

Recall, earlier Greek church media criticized the Jerusalem Patriarch Theophilos. The reason was the disagreement between the head of the Jerusalem Church and Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople on a number of fundamental issues, including the recognition of the Ukrainian schism. Patriarch Theophilos was also reminded of the Amman Council, accusing him of excessive adherence to the Moscow Patriarchate.