Archpriest Andrei Tkachev: UOC clergy's pilgrimage to Egypt is a good deed

Syrian Monastery in Egypt. Photo: Archpriest Nikolai Danilevich's tg-channel

The pilgrimage of the delegation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to Egypt is a good deed, thanks to which "maybe a lot will be evened out in the future." Archpriest Andrei Tkachev, the preacher and clergyman of the Russian Orthodox Church, wrote about this in his Telegram channel.

The monastic life of the ancient East is not familiar to many, the clergyman noted, and we learn the history of the Church according to the frequently wrong patterns of Constantinople with "its hatred of the desert and Egypt and with imperial whim (even if the empire is long gone)."

“We do not know anything about Christians who are dying for Christ or living a monastic life,” the archpriest added. “There are many such Christians and they are all from the ancient traditions of the East. It is necessary to fill the lacuna of ignorance about those who try to take monasticism in the same way as the fathers of Egypt did in ancient times – without the ambitions of being a bishop and anything else."

In addition, he believes, “we can be degrading, too: no fire; no feat, nothing but boorish self-righteousness. But it’s not and shouldn’t be the case. It is necessary to test where God is loved today as much as He was loved in the days of Anthony or Macarius."

“I think this path of search will reveal a lot. It will make many humble. It will show many people the way to advance, giving birth to a new generation of true friends of God and workers in the Vineyard instead of crafty temporary owners. You just need to follow the path of dogmatic clarity and asceticism. It is on this road that those, who do not think like the Fathers and are not ready to mortify themselves, fall away. Asceticism and patristic dogmatism are the strength and pillar of the Church of tomorrow,” summed up Archpriest Andrei Tkachev.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that on March 25, 2021, the delegation of the UOC went on a pilgrimage to the monasteries of Egypt. Archpriest Nikolai Danilevich, spokesman of the UOC, gave the details of the trip.

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