About New Martyrs and Bishop Arseniy

Metropolitan Arseniy in hospital. Photo: Sviatohirsk Lavra

We rarely reflect on how exactly the confessors of the faith lived and performed their feats, or how they were perceived by their contemporaries. We look at their icons and pray to them as to holy servants of God. Yet in their time, they lived ordinary lives. Just like many of us today, they doubted, feared, and faced choices: conscience or comfort, loyalty to the Church or service to the world.

On November 3, Bishop Arseniy was thrown back behind bars. Thrown, despite obvious health problems, despite having already been held in pre-trial detention for a year and a half, despite there being no necessity to keep him in prison.

We cannot know for sure, but everyone understands: the accusations against the bishop are fabricated, the authorities want to achieve something from him. Perhaps a betrayal of the Church, perhaps a betrayal of the people, maybe a betrayal of his own conscience. But there is no result. The bishop meekly returns to prison.

In his speech after the court verdict, he did not utter a single word of condemnation toward his tormentors. On the contrary, he asked forgiveness from the SBU officers if he had shouted or said anything in the heat of the moment. “Guys, don’t take it to heart, forgive me,” the bishop said.

We are not speaking about this now to put Metropolitan Arseniy on the par with the confessors of the past, the New Martyrs who suffered under the Soviet regime. But it is impossible not to notice the parallels. It is unlikely that any of the confessors said to themselves 100 years ago: "Here I am, a martyr of God, performing a feat in the name of Christ, and I will be canonized for this." They simply acted as their conscience told them. With hope that God would not abandon His chosen ones. Although only they know what this choice cost them.

Bishop Arseniy also does not say that he is performing a feat for Christ. He acts as his Christian and episcopal conscience tells him. And he accepts the difficult consequences of this choice.

Read also