UOC cleric on Cherkasy temple seizure: God didn’t bless violence & killing

Rector of the Holy Cross Cathedral of Uzhhorod, Archpriest Dimitry Sydor. Photo: lem.fm

On 18 October, after the seizure of the UOC Cathedral in Cherkasy, the rector of the Holy Cross Cathedral of Uzhhorod, Archpriest Dimitry Sydor, delivered a sermon published on YouTube, where he expressed his views on the incident. He strongly condemned the actions of the attackers, calling them "barbarism and vandalism".

Regarding non-believers, Fr Dimitry said it is their right not to go to church. However, he emphasized that such a person has no right to take a stick and drive people out of the temple with gas.

In the clergyman’s opinion, the events in Cherkasy are a test for believers: "The Lord sometimes allows," said Archpriest Dimitry, "for a host of demonic people to invade the cathedral and the sacred territory." He also characterized the attackers as "a host of Satanists standing in the way of God."

The cleric appealed to believers to remain steadfast and faithful: "We are Christians and carry a common cross... we rejoice when persecuted, we rejoice when accused – let us preserve our Orthodox faith, regardless of slanders, humiliations and insults."

He also highlighted the peaceful nature of the Church: "God witnesses that our Church is filled with peaceful people... we know that God has never blessed violence, that God has never blessed killing."

In his sermon, Fr Dimitry urged the believers to defend their faith: "We must preserve and pass on our faith to our children and grandchildren... the Lord did not bless us to call for anyone to be persecuted. The main thing is to protect our own, to respect our God-given religion."

As reported by the UOJ, UOC Priest Dimitry Sydor believes that the MPs who voted to ban the UOC excommunicated themselves from the Kingdom of Heaven.

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