Hierarch of the Belarusian Church recalled the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

The hierarch of the Belarusian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, Archbishop Gury of Novogrudok and Slonim, vicar of the Holy Dormition Zhirovich Monastery, in his statement characterized the situation in Ukraine as a purposeful destruction of the Orthodox Church. In his opinion, behind the persecution of believers are Western «globalists» who use the Ukrainian leadership to realize their geopolitical project.

According to the hierarch, not only is the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church banned in the country, but there is also persecution of believers. «Orthodox Christians are also being tried, tortured and killed there, and churches are being destroyed,» he claimed. The archbishop quoted from the Gospel: «…the time is coming when everyone who kills you will think that he serves God by doing so,» emphasizing that «spiritual ignorance and false understanding of faith have always given rise to persecutors of true piety.»

Archbishop Guriy cited statistics, according to which since February 2022 about 180 criminal cases have been initiated against clergymen and hierarchs of the UOC on charges of high treason and incitement of religious discord. He noted that charges were brought against about 120 clerics, more than 30 people received court sentences, and 20 members of the clergy, including the head of the UOC Metropolitan Onufriy, were stripped of their Ukrainian citizenship.

He described the forced military mobilization of priests as a new form of repression. In addition, the archbishop mentioned the decision of a Kiev court to recognize same-sex marriage, which he said contradicts the Ukrainian Constitution. Summarizing, the hierarch said that, having taken the path of «godlessness», the country’s leadership «cannot resist the devil’s power any longer».

Recall, earlier we reported that the Holy Council of Bishops of the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church, held on October 27 under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Metropolitan Savva of Warsaw and All Poland, came up with an important initiative. After reviewing the current situation in world Orthodoxy, the hierarchs called for the convening of an Pan-Orthodox Council to overcome the existing divisions.