Cherkasy Eparchy of UOC calls on President to release Metropolitan Theodosy

Metropolitan Theodosy of Cherkasy and Kaniv. Photo: pravoslavye.org.ua

The clergy, monastics and laity of the Cherkasy Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have published an open appeal to President Volodymyr Zelensky, other government officials and judges with a call to stop the persecution of Metropolitan Theodosy of Cherkasy and Kaniv.

The appeal notes that "the powers that be have taken a dangerous path of dividing our people into the right and the wrong, friends and foes, patriots and non-patriots".

"And, as it was once, so in the newest times, the Church of Christ has become the greatest 'alien' and 'foe'," the eparchy notes. “For us, people of faith, this is not surprising. It was said two thousand years ago: ‘If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.’ (John 15.18-19) And not only it was said, but during Her earthly existence, the Church experienced all the hatred and persecution of this world. And endured!"

According to the authors of the appeal, "many of the senior clergy remember well the time when for being a believer you were persecuted, humiliated, tried, closed in a mental institution", and "today again the same methods: deceit, untruth, denunciations and prosecutions".

"Remember: the more you persecute the Church of Christ, the stronger it will be, the more lies, insults and slander you inflict on the Church, the purer and holier it will rise. We, the faithful people, are strengthened with the words of the Saviour of the world today: ‘In this world, you will have trouble. ... But take heart! I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33). Our victory is that we are persecuted, judged and ridiculed, but we pray for those who do so. We are beaten, spat upon, and cursed, but we bless them. They come to us at night with searches, angle grinders, crowbars, and stones to steal our churches, our shrines but you cannot take our faith from our hearts," stress Orthodox Christians of Cherkasy.

They called the trial of Metropolitan Theodosy the "newest Sanhedrin" and stated that the clergy, monks, nuns, clerics, and laypeople of the Cherkasy Eparchy are "united with their ruling hierarch".

"We consider the legal persecution an attempt by the authorities to put pressure on the believers of the Cherkasy Eparchy, many faithful children of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, an attempt to intimidate them. We consider the testimonies of informers and "evidence" to be far-fetched and unfounded. We take this trial of the bishop as a trial of all of us, the many-thousand flock of the Cherkasy region. When you judge the bishop, then judge us! If you want to imprison him, prepare dungeons for us too! ... In all trials, the faithful of the Cherkasy region will stand together with their archpastor," the authors of the document emphasise.

Addressing the President, they called on him "to give instructions to immediately terminate the artificially fabricated criminal case against Metropolitan Theodosy of Cherkasy and Kaniv and release the archpastor from arrest".

According to the believers, "the fact that he is innocently persecuted by the denunciations of 'people with grinders and crowbars' is evident not only today in Ukraine but throughout the entire Orthodox world!"

"We also appeal to the judges in this trial: no matter how much 'pressure from above' and 'below' is exerted on you, under no circumstances should you make false and criminal decisions! It is better for you to lose your position and job than to lose eternal life and incur the wrath of God. If, under political pressure, you imprison the bishop of God, neither your descendants nor history itself will forgive you," the Orthodox Christians say.

They also called on the "fullness of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to preserve evangelical unity and love among themselves, to be steadfast in trials, fervent in prayers for the Church and our people, quick in doing good deeds and be unshakable in faith".

As reported, on August 21, 2023, the Sosnivka District Court of Cherkasy held the first hearing devoted to the case against Metropolitan Theodosy. The SBU accuses the hierarch of committing crimes under Article 161 and Article 436-2 of the Criminal Code (violation of equal rights of citizens depending on their religious beliefs and justification, recognition as legitimate, denial of armed aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, glorification of its participants). Since April 12, 2023, the Metropolitan has been under round-the-clock house arrest.

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