Serbian hierarch: Our brothers from the UOC are suffering for the truth

Bishop Gherasim of the SOC. Photo: Local Churches

Bishop Gherasim of Gornji Karlovac of the Serbian Orthodox Church has published a statement in support of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, reports the website of the Gornji Karlovac Eparchy.

"Our thoughts and kneeling prayers are offered to the Lord in connection with the suffering and reckless persecutions of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, where our Holy Church endures daily blows from persecutors of the true faith and from those who do not hesitate to associate themselves with the dark forces from the depths of hell," the Serbian hierarch said in his appeal.

Bishop Gherasim listed specific facts of persecution of the UOC faithful in Ukraine.

"Undoubtedly, today in Ukraine there are new confessors of the Orthodox faith, including His Eminences Metropolitans Jonathan of Tulchyn and Bratslav, Pavel of Vyshhorod, the abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Luke of Zaporizhzhia and Melitopol, Theodosiy of Cherkasy and Kaniv, Arseniy of Sviatohirsk, Longin of Bancheny, and many other archbishops and priests along with their faithful and steadfast flock. All our aforementioned brothers are suffering for the truth in fictitious and, above all, false judicial processes and accusations, being imprisoned, physically attacked, deprived of places of worship, and subjected to other violations of fundamental human rights," he noted.

Bishop Gherasim called for justice to be restored towards the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and for intensified prayers for the suffering Orthodox Christians of Ukraine.

"We call for justice and love, and ask the Lord to reason with the unwise persecutors of Christ and His flock, to grant peace to our Holy Church in those areas where you tirelessly serve God so that the entire fullness of the Church of Christ may be strengthened on His path. May He strengthen you and give you strength to always selflessly commit yourselves to the Lord and persist in the mission of preserving faith and steadfastness in your centuries-old strongholds. What they are doing to you today is a systematic destruction of Orthodoxy and a shameless persecution of Christ, whom you witness, confess and love with all your heart, all your soul, and all your deeds!" concluded the bishop.

As reported, Metropolitan Luke of Zaporizhzhia and Melitopol said that the ban on entry to Kosovo and Metohija for Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Porfirije is a manifestation of the total destruction of Orthodoxy.

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