Metropolitan Luka urged to stop disputes around the Theophany Cathedral

Metropolitan Luka of Zaporizhzhya and Melitopol has appealed to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to stop «heated discussions» and «accusatory polemics» among bishops concerning the events that took place in Theophany in May 2022. In his opinion, these disputes not only do not benefit the Church, but also contribute to the division of the faithful. In his address, the hierarch also stood up for Metropolitan Theodosius of Cherkasy and Kanev, who was criticized, and revealed a number of details of those events, pointing to procedural violations and possible outside influence.

As reported in the Metropolitan‘s author’s Telegram channel, Vladyka Luka expressed concern about the current state of affairs, emphasizing that zealous preservation of Church canons is an integral part of pastoral ministry, since the canons are «the breath of the Church» and its «blessed enclosure.» He bitterly noted that the accusations against Metropolitan Theodosius look «as if they were written ‘under a copybook’ and coordinated.

As a direct participant in the events in Theophany, Metropolitan Luke testified to several key points that, in his opinion, require attention:

• The participants of the meeting did not sign any decisions or protocols, but only confirmed with their signatures their personal presence at the event.
• The bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church did not react properly to the conclusions of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (SESC), which did not recognize the meeting in Theophany as a council at all. «Why such a violent reaction on the part of the bishops was absent to the conclusions of the religious studies expertise according to which the events that took place in Theophany on May 27, 2022 are not recognized by the GESS as a council at all? Why was there only a ringing silence in response to these questions, and today he who is a brother in Christ is accused of lying, twisting the facts, is subjected to public crucifixion?» — Lord Luke asks rhetorically.
• There have been procedural violations. For example, in some dioceses, delegates were elected by the diocesan council, not by the general assembly, as it should be.
• The Metropolitan claims that to say that there were no «conversations» between representatives of the law enforcement agencies and the bishops before the council is deceitful. According to him, some hierarchs more often meet with «people in shoulder straps» than visit parishes.
• He also noted a strange information leak: details of his speeches in Theophany instantly became known in social networks, which, according to the Metropolitan, indicates the presence of «pre-programmed by external forces» participants in the event.

At the end of his address, Vladyka Luka urged to stop ruinous disputes in the face of real threats to Orthodoxy in Ukraine. Among such threats he named laws directed against the canonical Church, attempts to «reformat consciousness and historical memory,» as well as «blatant proselytizing» on the part of the Uniates. «Let us shift our attention from grievances to real service: to pray for the war-weary flock, to protect our churches and our faith from real threats,» the Metropolitan concluded, calling everyone to sobriety, mutual forgiveness and unity in Christ.

Recall, the hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Metropolitan of Cherkassy and Kanev Theodosius (Snigiryov) said that he opposes the decision of the Council of the UOC in Theophany from 2022, on the resumption of the practice of Myrovany in Kiev. The hierarch argues that the practice of Mirarovation is the prerogative of exclusively autocephalous churches, while the Ukrainian Orthodox Church does not have such a status.