Calls for the murder of priests: all aspects of what has been said

Photo: UOJ

A video was posted online showing the singer of the Ukrainian rock band "Hatespeech" Dmytro Odnorozhenko, called to kill UOC priests during a concert in Odesa. In the original, a swear word was used, which quite admits such a translation: ‘to kill’. This is far from the only instance of extreme hatred directed towards the Church. One might recall how in 2022, artists from the "Kvartal 95" studio openly mocked the Orthodox faith and called for violence against priests. Similar statements have been made by former President P. Poroshenko and many other politicians. All these actions by political and public figures have sparked a wildfire of hatred in Ukrainian society towards millions of UOC believers, who also suffer from the war, fight in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, leave their homes, hide in basements during shelling, raise funds to support our military and refugees, and so on. This incitement to hatred and calls for violence and murder have several dimensions: spiritual, moral-ethical and socio-political. Certainly, there is also a legal dimension, since what Dmytro Odnorozhenko said from the stage constitutes a crime. But that's for the relevant authorities to address.

Spiritual aspect

Dmytro Odnorozhenko called to kill UOC priests. Perhaps, this is due to misunderstanding, that he does not realize what he is doing? Maybe, he speaks like this because he does not consider the UOC the true Church and its pastors true priests of God? Maybe, he is against the UOC, but not against God? Maybe, but here is the text of one of his songs.

‘Fed up with righteous anger.
Yesterday he was a man - today he has turned into a beast.
Righteous anger has mutilated him.
If the gods allowed it, I would kill all the gods.'

As we can see, it is not only the priests that this man calls to kill, but also the One whom they serve. The most paradoxical thing is that a person can indeed kill God. Kill within oneself, in one's heart. And in that case, they truly become like a beast. And when a person speaks of becoming violent and ready to kill all gods, it's logical to open the Apocalypse and read what is said there about the beast.

“And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, ‘Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?’ The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world,” (Rev 13:1-8). It reminds you of something, doesn't it?

If people more often opened the Holy Scripture and read what is written there, perhaps they would not so easily associate themselves with the beast. However, who knows...

You can kill God within yourself, you can become savage, you can call for the killing of God's priests and even carry it out in practice, but you cannot do all this without consequences. When a person turns away from God and goes against His Church, they set in motion certain spiritual mechanisms, the essence of which we cannot fully understand, but we can read about them in the Scriptures and also witness firsthand the results of these mechanisms.

Thus, the apostle Paul writes to the Galatians: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap...” (Galatians 6:7). If you called for murder, if you sowed hatred, what will you reap in the end? As for murder, Christ Himself said: “...all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword” (Matthew 26:52). If you call for evil upon another person, why do you think it will not come to you? If you dig a pit for another, why do you think you will not fall into it yourself? If you rejoice at another's misfortune, why do you think it cannot come to you?

A few days ago, Iryna Farion was killed in Lviv. This murder is just as much a violation of God's commandment 'thou shalt not kill' as any other. But let us remember her words when Oles Buzina was killed in Kyiv or people were burnt in the Trade Union House in Odesa. Do we not see with our own eyes the fulfillment of the apostle's words: “Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap”? Or another example. Just the other day there was a report about the death of the 18-year-old son of the head of the Lviv RMA Maksym Kozitsky. The message stated that he was diagnosed with cancer shortly after entering university, around September 2023. In April 2023, his father posted a video online showing an excavator demolishing the only UOC church of St Volodymyr in Lviv, and naturally, such a decision could not have been made without his involvement. Of course, not everyone who destroyed the church or killed God within themselves or called for retribution against the Church immediately suffers divine retribution. But are not such cases a vivid reminder that breaking God's commandments goes unpunished? Does God not call us to repentance in this way? Does He not show us signs from above in the hope that we will see them and stop spewing out evil and hatred from ourselves? After all, this is exactly what He Himself speaks of in the Gospel.

"At that time, some came and told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. Jesus responded to them, 'Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.'" (Luke 13:1-5).

Spiritual laws are unchangeable; only sincere repentance can avert their consequences. Now, let’s turn to two other aspects.

Moral-Ethical Aspect

Some may believe that discussions about spirituality are merely "opium for the people", and that the tragic events described above are just coincidences rather than manifestations of spiritual laws. Nevertheless, the moral component remains. This lies in the fact that calls for violence and unlawful actions are often heard by someone. While some might simply shout at a concert, others may take it as a guide for action. For example, in December 2022, a controversial video was released in which artists from the "Kvartal 95" studio called for physical violence against UOC priests. This was presented as a harmless comedy show, and the artists later claimed they did not intend to offend anyone's religious feelings. However, a few days later, a man entered the Intercession Church of the UOC in Vinnytsia and slit the throat of Fr Antony Kovtoniuk. This was the most blatant case, but there were many others where people, incited by statements from "Kvartal 95" and other anti-church agitators, beat priests and believers, desecrated and set fire to churches and harassed UOC parishioners. Those who called for hatred and violence, who incited enmity, who moulded the Church into the image of an enemy to be destroyed, bear moral responsibility for all this.

Some say that if you take God out of religion, what remains is morality, moral norms that a society must observe just to survive and avoid going to pieces and self-destruction. Many philosophers and scientists, both believers and atheists, recognize that the so-called Decalogue, the Ten Commandments of Moses, are the conditions minimally necessary for the existence of mankind. It is like the laws of physics or other empirical science. Once upon a time mankind did not know that the law of universal gravitation existed, but it worked nonetheless. The apple didn't fall down because Newton formulated this law after it fell on his head. Similarly, one should not kill, steal, commit adultery and so on not because Moses brought the relevant commandments from the mountain. It cannot be done because otherwise humankind would exterminate itself, or at least be deeply unhappy. One can disbelieve in Newton's law, but one cannot jump from a great height and still be alive. The law will apply whether we know it or not. One can disbelieve in the revelation of the commandments, but one cannot break them without self-destruction.

What will our Ukrainian society be like if it is called for murder and reprisals? Will it be happy, free and prosperous? Will people in such a society live joyfully and implement their God-given talents? Will culture, economy and social sphere develop? No, and once again - no! All human history has proved that the happiest and most successful countries are those where people do not kill, steal, humiliate and, accordingly, do not call for all these things. This means that all those who call for the violation of God's commandments wish Ukraine evil and unhappiness.

Socio-political aspect

"...every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand" (Matthew 12:25). This truth, spoken by Jesus Christ, has never been refuted.

Even according to Ukrainian officials, who are by no means favorable to the UOC, approximately 6 million Ukrainian citizens are its parishioners. This is a significant number, especially considering that the total population is less than 30 million people, and by some estimates, significantly less. The state, through its deliberate anti-church policy, essentially declares these 6 million people as enemies of the people. They are labelled as unreliable, unpatriotic and disloyal to the Ukrainian state. Various artists, public figures and political leaders brand them as second-class citizens or even call for their elimination. By doing so, they sow discord within Ukrainian society, dividing it along religious lines and artificially inciting internal hostility among different social groups in Ukraine. Is such a policy permissible in wartime?

If we recall the first few months after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we see that many politicians and top officials stated that during wartime, it is imperative not to persecute the largest Ukrainian denomination, as this would critically weaken our country in the face of the enemy and could ultimately lead to military defeat. But shortly thereafter, these same politicians and state leaders began saying the opposite. Groundless accusations of treason, collaboration, sympathy for the enemy and so on rained down on the UOC. Legislative initiatives to ban the Church intensified, along with calls for murder and violence. What has changed? Did Metropolitan Onuphry and the Synod express any position other than a call to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine? Were weapons found in monasteries and churches? Did priests start advocating for Russia in their sermons? None of this is true.

The leadership of the Prosecutor's Office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) report only minimal numbers of criminal cases opened against UOC clergy. Only around 60 citizens have been charged, and about 20 of them have been convicted. This is negligible compared to the hundreds, if not thousands, of treason cases against Ukrainian civil servants, including law enforcement officials. Furthermore, it is unjust to hold the entire Church responsible for the actions of individual clergy who do engage in illegal activities. Our laws do not allow for collective punishment for crimes.

There are objectively no grounds for persecuting the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, yet it is being persecuted. What is this? Stupidity, misunderstanding, incompetence or a deliberate weakening of Ukraine during wartime? In the grand scheme of things, the reasons behind this are less important. What matters is that our state and society are being weakened from within by such actions. Calls to kill priests, destroy churches and desecrate faith—what is most sacred to a person—are acts that contribute to the division of the country. This incites millions of Ukrainian citizens against one another. It consciously cultivates a virus of hatred that will destroy our state and people from within. Just as the much-dreaded coronavirus infected the lungs and prevented people from breathing, so too will this hostility and hatred, promoted by various singers, comedians, politicians and other opponents of the UOC, stifle our people. It will hinder us from winning the war, rebuilding the country and making its people happy.

Conclusion

A simple truth: A patriot of Ukraine is someone who desires the country to be free, happy, prosperous, and a place where every person feels free, protected and equal to others. Not only do they wish for this, but they also take actions to make it so. Conversely, an enemy of Ukraine is someone who sows discord and hatred within the country, pits some citizens against others, calls for violence, creates an atmosphere of fear for one's life, uncertainty about the future and divides Ukrainian citizens into first- and second-class citizens. Such people condemn our country to defeat, stagnation and poverty. But this evil can only be overcome with good. "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). If all 6 million faithful members of the UOC pray for Dmytro Odnorozhenko, will God rise in his soul, in your opinion?

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