German priest: The actions of Phanar in Ukraine have not borne good fruit

Schema-Archimandrite Justin (Rauer). Photo: UOJ

Schema-Archimandrite Justin (Rauer) of the Serbian Church in Germany, and abbot of the Monastery of Saint Justin of Ćelije, shared his perspective on the situation in Ukraine and how it might be resolved in an interview with the German branch of the UOJ.

In his opinion, as a result of the intervention of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Ukraine, "chaos reigns in the Church," which he attributes to the fact that "Christ is not at the center" of the actions of certain hierarchs.

"Christ is not the Person by whom everything is measured; instead, selfish goals are pursued first and foremost, which are then justified by canons that existed at one time or another. These canons were issued by the Church at a specific time and under specific circumstances, and not every canon necessarily has universal authority for all times. Of course, some do, but not all," the schema-archimandrite stated.

He recalled the etymology of the Greek word for "devil" (diabolos), which is derived from the words "through" (dia) and "to throw" (bolos). "Thus, all confusion comes from the devil, and if I open the door to him, as Adam and Eve did – forgetting God and putting their own will first – I, too, will bring confusion into the Church," Father Justin said.

In his view, problems arise in the Church because "hierarchs and Church people do not set the fulfillment of God's will as their primary goal."

"And this is where the devil comes in because he has room to maneuver," the schema-archimandrite explained.

He believes that the situation in Ukraine "can only be healed through Christ, in Christ, and with Christ. There is no other remedy."

"Political programs can improve a situation to some extent, but they cannot heal it. This applies to all things human: psychology can help in many ways, but it cannot heal. Only God can heal, and nothing human has that power. As long as we remain stuck in human nature and our human ideas, we will not succeed. The Lord’s Prayer tells us, 'Thy will be done…,' but, as I have said, we are not particularly interested in that," the Serbian Church cleric said.

"I am not in a position to judge people – that is for God alone – but we can certainly comment on events. Christ gives us the criterion for this when He says, 'By their fruits, you shall know them….' Surely, Patriarch Bartholomew himself knows that his actions have not borne good fruit. His problem is how to get out of this situation without losing face. In my opinion, the only way is for him to return to Christ," Father Justin concluded.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that, according to a Greek theologian, the people of Ukraine did not accept the OCU, and the project has failed.

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