US archimandrite: His Beatitude Onufry is a holy man

Archimandrite Alexander (Cutler)

His Beatitude Onufry bears a heavy cross, says Archimandrite Alexander (Cutler), who moved to live in Ukraine from the USA.

"I believe that he is a holy man. Now he is on the cross, after all this trouble is due to problems now in Ukraine," the priest said in a talk with the UOJ.

Father Alexander recalled that for the first time he met Metropolitan Onufry in Chernovtsy in 1998 and already then paid attention to his special devotion. At the same time, as the priest remembers, His Beatitude Onufry spoke freely with him in English.

"I was at the vespers and looked at him there. He is a prayer man ... He is a monk and, of course, a hierarch. Every time I watched him, I saw that he is a man who loves. If you look at his face – it's calm, gracious. You feel that you are next to a holy person."

At the same time, Archimandrite Alexander called the face of the head of the UOC KP Filaret "angry".

"I feel very sorry for him. I very much hope that he will find paths to salvation," said the archimandrite."But to hate others so much and oppose others so... Nobody inherits the Kingdom of Heaven in such a way."

Father Alexander noted that Christians should love even those who do not love us and hate us, so he wished Filaret to find the salvation of his soul.

Archimandrite Alexander (Cutler), an American priest, has moved to the Rovno region to serve at the Holy Ascension Metochion of the St. Nicholas Convent of the urban village Mlinov.

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