UOC bishop: Authorities are annoyed at His Beatitude smiling no matter what

His Beatitude Onuphry. Photo: UOC

State agents of the highest echelons of power of Ukraine are annoyed by the fact that despite the enormous pressure on the UOC, His Beatitude Onuphry keeps smiling through thick and thin, Archbishop Victor, the ruling Khmelnytsky bishop, told in a video interview with Pravoslavny Visnyk.

“We constantly press them, but he smiles. How come?" the archbishop conveyed the impressions of the officials. At the same time, he noted that deep inner feelings are hidden behind the outward smile, lovingly addressed to believers.

“We know that His Beatitude relies on God in everything and that he leads a profound spiritual life. His spiritual life is the foundation for all his words and actions. He will never say, ‘I lead the Church.’ No, but ‘Christ leads the Church.’ But he always prays that through him, Christ will give the right decisions that will benefit the Orthodox faithful of Ukraine,” the archbishop said.

According to him, that is why the Lord has now given us such a Primate, who is a spiritual core. “So that we could pass through those stormy waves that hit us from different sides, holding on to Christ through our Primate. So that we become stronger, become more perfect,” said the bishop.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that according to Metropolitan Onuphry, the right life is when you glorify God, rather than yourself.

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