His Beatitude: Church persecution is a struggle against love for God and neighbor

Metropolitan Onuphry. Photo: UOC press service

On November 9, 2025, celebrations were held at the Intercession (Pokrovsky) Holosiivo Monastery in Kyiv on the occasion of the feast day of the Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary. On the day of the commemoration of the heavenly patron of the Kyiv theological schools, St. Nestor the Chronicler, and the Synaxis of the Saints of the Kyiv Theological Academy, Metropolitan Onuphry pointed out the true essence of the modern trials of the Church.

"Today we live in our conditions, in our era, but all this struggle that is going on around the Church and the faith, is a struggle to destroy in a person the love for God and for one's neighbor," said His Beatitude. "When this love is destroyed, people become beasts that devour each other."

The Primate of the UOC emphasized the importance of spirituality in education, noting that St. Nestor the Chronicler "was a bright star that shone not only with knowledge but also with spirituality".

"If a person has spirituality, then knowledge becomes very valuable for the person. But if a person lacks spirituality, then knowledge itself makes a person arrogant and brings more harm than good. Everything makes sense when it is spiritualized," said Metropolitan Onuphry.

He reminded thoese present that the saints, who shone throughout the history of the Kyiv theological schools, call modern Christians to holiness. According to him, the living conditions of our ancestors were not much different from the modern ones: "The human soul remains a human soul. And virtue always remains virtue, and sin remains sin."

"Holiness is when a person loves God with all their soul, with all their heart, with all their understanding and thought. When a person loves their neighbor as themselves, this is our measure of perfection," noted the Primate.

He emphasized that the saints, whom the Church commemorates, "preserved love for God and love for their neighbor", despite different circumstances, conditions, and surroundings.

Addressing the students and teachers of the theological schools, the bishop wished that everyone would strive to live in such a way "that sin does not overcome them, that love for God, love for one's neighbor always triumphs".

The UOC Primate acknowledged that spiritual struggle is not easy: "A person sometimes wins, sometimes sin overcomes them, but that is also normal. Victories do not always happen. Sometimes there are defeats that bring more benefit to a person than victory."

Metropolitan Onuphry called for maintaining spiritual balance: "When there is a defeat, do not despair, do not lose heart, and when you have the triumph of victory, do not lose balance. This is the lifestyle that levels the sea of life to a calm line."

In conclusion, the Primate of the UOC wished everyone – "both old and young, both learned and common, both teachers and students" – to love God, to love one's neighbor, and to fight against sin.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that an international conference dedicated to the Nicene Council was held at the KDAiS.

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