Govt wants to sow chaos in Church – Chancellor on situation with Met Onuphry

Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanych). Photo: YouTube screenshot from the bishop’s channel

The decision to strip His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of citizenship is a blow against the entire fullness of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This was stated by the Chancellor of the UOC, Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary, on July 6, 2025, in his sermon after the Divine Liturgy at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

“This is not only about His Beatitude personally… It concerns our entire canonical Church,” the hierarch said. According to him, the authorities are following the principle: “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” Their goal is “to introduce chaos into the Church.”

Metropolitan Anthony noted that in the future, persecution can also be expected against other bishops, especially members of the Synod who remain faithful to the canons. “They do not want to be Judases. And it is clear – as is already being said in media outlets that serve as mouthpieces for anti-Church forces – that there will be other actions,” he said.

The hierarch reminded the faithful that the Church of Christ, by its very nature, has always been and will always be persecuted: “The Church can only be a martyr Church, an uncomfortable Church.” Therefore, believers should not panic: “Yes, there will be earthly defeats, but in these defeats is the glory of the Church.”

The UOC will defend His Beatitude’s rights through legal means, but it is important to remember that “God’s truth is not human truth.” Therefore, it is especially important now to pray for the unity of the Church: “So that the enemy of the human race does not succeed in dividing… our Church.”

The Chancellor of the UOC urged the faithful to stand by their pastors and pray for them: “If God grants us the blessing of suffering for Christ, He will also grant us the strength.”

He also asked for prayers for the persecutors: “that the Lord may soften their hearts and not allow them to perish, because they do not know what they are doing. They think they are doing something very good, but they are bringing ruin upon themselves and the entire nation.”

“Our task, as the Apostle Paul says, is to fight against sin and become slaves of God. Not slaves to human will, to some malicious will, but slaves of God. Because we strive for that fruit which is holiness, which is eternal life,” the hierarch concluded.

As the UOJ previously reported, Protodeacon Vadym Novynskyi earlier noted that any country would dream of having such a citizen as His Beatitude.

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