Show me your “elders”

Hryshchuk in a hoodie during the seizure of a UOC church in Verkhni Stanivtsi. Photo: UOJ

Another “feat” of the Bukovynian raider Hryshchuk, who slandered the cross procession participants from Ust-Putyla and reported them to the SBU, raises the question: who is being hailed as a “hero” in modern Ukraine?

At all times, in any society, there have been figures of authority, who served as examples for the nation.

In the USSR, one might recall cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, soldier Alexander Matrosov, or engineer Sergey Korolev. In the post-Soviet era – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Andrei Sakharov, Viacheslav Chornovil, and others.

We see the same in the Orthodox community. Many canonized saints were venerated even during their lifetimes for their spiritual feats, for helping others, and for simply living exemplary Christian lives.

Amphilochius of Pochaev, Luke of Crimea, Kuksha of Odesa, and many others were all nearly our contemporaries, who served as examples for millions.

Today, we see hundreds and thousands of UOC priests who, despite persecution and physical assaults, remain faithful to the Church. We see Metropolitan Arseniy, imprisoned for no reason. We see His Beatitude Onuphry, who has not uttered a word of condemnation toward those who are clearly following in the footsteps of the Bolsheviks.

But who is the “role model” in the OCU today? Hryshchuk, who makes nighttime raids on churches with knives and angle grinders? The Cherkasy "Metropolitan" Yaremenko, who incites militants against the faithful and steals other people’s panagias and staff? All the other OCU clerics who engage in robbery and banditry?

These aren’t just several “bad apples in the bunch”. These are people praised and embraced by the head of the OCU, held up as models for everyone else. These are modern OCU “elders”.

Dumenko, by his attitude toward them, seems to say: “Do as they do, and you will attain the Kingdom of Heaven.”

A well-known proverb says: “Tell me who your friend is, and I will tell you who you are.” In our case, it sounds like this: “Show me your ‘elders,’ and I will tell you what Church you belong to.”

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