His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry: Let’s love God and be united in God

On March 4 at 12:00 in all churches and monasteries of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, there were prayers for the soonest establishment of peace in Ukraine. His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry prayed in the house church of the Holy Trinity Convent of Feofaniya in Kyiv. At the end of the prayer service, the Metropolitan addressed the faithful, reports the UOC Informational and Educational Department.

 His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry's word after the prayer service on the advent of peace in Ukraine.

"In all our Ukrainian Orthodox Church, we are praying for peace in the Ukrainian land. To our great sorrow, it is now the ninth day of the war in our land. Russian troops are fighting against Ukraine. It is sadness that fills our hearts. People are dying – civilians are dying, children are dying. The land is filled with weeping and sorrow. Refugees have no place to lay their heads. We pray that God has mercy on us.

Our Holy Ukrainian Orthodox Church has always taught, desired and preached love between nations. We especially wished that there would be peace and harmony between the Russian and Ukrainian peoples. We wanted these peoples to live as good neighbours: in respect for one another, in patience with one another and in love. We have been and are still being insulted for this, called all sorts of obscene words and expressions. But we do not look at it. Even today we want the Russian and the Ukrainian people to live peacefully among themselves.

That is why I am appealing to the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin and ask him: "Vladimir Vladimirovich, do everything to stop the war in the Ukrainian land! War does not bring good to the people. War sheds blood. And blood divides people. You can do it and we believe and wish you would do it. We ask that the days of Lent be peaceful for us, so that we may celebrate in joy the bright feast of life – the feast of the Holy Resurrection of Christ.

We know that there are problems between nations: there are, there have been and there will be problems. But we have always advocated the point of view that we as the creation of God, gifted with reason and word, should solve these problems with the help of the reasonable word.

We call on both sides, the Russian side and the Ukrainian side, to sit down at the negotiating table and solve all the problems that exist between us at them, not by the sword. The sword divides but love unites. Let us tolerate each other, respect each other, love God and be united in God. That unity which no one and nothing can destroy. That unity that is achieved by the sword is short-lived and unreliable. It is human unity, and it falls apart. The unity which is in God is eternal. I wish there would be unity in God among our nations, I wish we would love each other and be united in God.

May God bless us all!"

As reported, the UOC Primate held a prayer service for peace in Ukraine at 12 noon on 4 March.

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