How schismatics from OCU stole the Holy Fire

This year, schismatics from the Orthodox Church of Ukraine distinguished themselves: they received the (or rather stole) the Holy Fire on Great Saturday in the best traditions of the genre. How was it, what came out of it and what parallels can be drawn from the Holy Scriptures?

Prologue

Ukrainian schismatics steal the Holy Fire annually. And sometimes they even manage to bring it to Ukraine before anyone else. 

It is easy to get the Holy Fire: you just need to go to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem on Great Saturday and wait until it is carried out onto the street. The fire descends inside the Church ...

But in a matter of minutes, it’s on the street ...

Come, light and carry it to Epiphany Dumenko, Filaret Denisenko, Petro Poroshenko and anyone.

Only official delegations of Local Orthodox Churches, as well as diplomats from Orthodox countries, can get to the descent of the Holy Fire into the Church itself. Applications with lists of members of such official delegations are submitted to the Jerusalem Patriarchate about six months before Easter. The Patriarch carefully checks and approves them. Each member of the delegation is given a special badge, which is a pass to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Representatives of the Ukrainian schismatics could also take advantage of the quota that was given to the Ukrainian Embassy in Israel and get into the Church itself on Holy Saturday.

In past years, schismatics from the UOC KP and the UAOC in one way or another stole the Holy Fire and brought it to Ukraine. “Stole” is the right word because those who do not belong to the Church of Christ cannot receive it officially with the blessing of the Jerusalem Patriarch.

The Holy Fire descends only on the Orthodox patriarch. In 1579, representatives of the Armenian Church demanded from a Turkish official who ruled Jerusalem that the Orthodox should not enter the Church on Great Saturday. Armenians hoped that they could receive the Holy Fire on their own. But it all ended with the fire descending, nevertheless, on the Orthodox, clear evidence of which is the burnt column, near which they prayed.

The Lord clearly showed that no schismatics and heretics are entitled to receive the Holy Fire. And taking possession of what doesn't belong to you is a theft.

So, in previous years, Ukrainian schismatics stole the Holy Fire and brought it to Ukraine, creating in the eyes of their supporters the appearance of their belonging to the Church of Christ. But this year they tried to do it on the basis of their status as the supposedly recognized Local Church. And that's what came out of it.

Act I

In early April, it was reported that the Jerusalem Patriarchate would not allow the delegation from the OCU either to the Holy Sepulcher on Great Saturday or to any other services or events in the Holy Land. This was announced by the head of the press service of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus, Archpriest Alexander Volkov: “The Jerusalem Patriarchate does not allow schismatics to shrines located in the canonical territory of the Jerusalem Patriarchate. The Patriarch of Jerusalem does not allow any engagement, even a prayer one, of representatives of these structures.”

Later, this information was confirmed by the priest of the UOC Archimandrite Alipy Svetlichny: “The Patriarch of Jerusalem is forced to tighten the verification of the clergy from Ukraine. The Church of Jerusalem is concerned that the real clergy take part in the Liturgy. Representatives from the newly formed OCU have already tried to join the ministry on the Holy Sepulcher. And now all references and documents are thoroughly checked.”

For authorization, special certificates and questionnaires that must be filled in by members of official delegations are introduced.

All this is a practical consequence of the position taken by the Jerusalem Church in relation to the OCU: Jerusalem does not recognize the Ukrainian schismatics, despite recognition by the Constantinople Patriarchate. And in January 2019, Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem even cancelled the already agreed meeting with the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, at which the latter was planning to achieve the recognition of the OCU.

Regarding the admission of the OCU delegation to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the representative of the Jerusalem Patriarchate said: “Anyone can come to the Church and receive the Holy Fire. This is allowed to all due to the feast. But to get inside the shrine and hold a joint prayer there or perform a service in the Cathedral of Jerusalem on the eve, your second Church (OCU – Ed.) cannot. They don't have permission to do that.”

Act II

Nevertheless, the OCU delegation went to Jerusalem for the Holy Fire. They say impudence wins. That is certainly true for Ukrainian schismatics. On April 26, 2019, on the official website of the OCU, a trip of a delegation to the Holy Land with the blessing of “His Beatitude” Epiphany Dumenko was announced.

The delegation of 30 people consisted of "clergymen, OJF veterans (Operation of the Joint Forces – Ed.), Ukrainian politicians, philanthropists, government officials and public figures from all regions of Ukraine."

However, since the Jerusalem Patriarchate stated that they would not let representatives of the OCU on the threshold, they decided to come from the other side. Probably, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ "Truly, truly, I say to you: whoever does not enter through the door of the sheepfold, but he will climb, he is a thief and a robber" (John 10, 1) does not mean anything to them.

Act III

The OCU delegation arrived in the Holy Land. This was immediately reported on his Facebook page by a member of the delegation, people's deputy Andrei Lozovoi: “With Father Mikhail of Vishneve, arrived in the Holy Land for the Holy Fire, together with Sergei Rudik and other colleagues.”

What were these people hoping for? Representatives of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem had already said that they would not meet with them and would not allow them to participate in any sacred rites. On Good Friday, Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem received the official delegations of Local Churches at his residence. He also received the delegation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, led by Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich).

For representatives of the OCU, such meetings were not planned. In the eyes of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, they continue to be schismatics. Consequently, they cannot claim recognition of their church status.

Then the schismatics tried to solve the problem with the help of the staff of the Ukrainian Embassy in Israel. Those appealed to the Jerusalem Patriarchate with a request to issue badges for the delegation of the OCU in the quota assigned to the embassy but received a refusal. This was reported by the edition "Strana" with reference to its own sources.

Act IV

However, despite all the bans and refusals by the Jerusalem Patriarchate, representatives of the OCU still found themselves inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, wearing the very badges that give the right to that.

Many people wonder: how could they get these badges, showing off on their necks? It is suggested that the staff of the Ukrainian Embassy, nevertheless, supplied the schismatics with their badges, ignoring the rules of diplomatic etiquette.

However, in our opinion, the question is purely technical and therefore unimportant. Much more important is the question: how dare they commit this, in fact, blasphemy? How do people who call themselves Christians dare to break the ban of the Jerusalem Patriarchate on their visit to the Holy Sepulcher on Great Saturday? How dare they commit fraud and forgery to go through the police cordons and still get inside the temple? How can they think now, after such an obvious spit in the face of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, to ask it for recognition as the Local Church? And how aren’t they ashamed to let everyone know of the fact of theft and blasphemy on social media?

Epilogue

The sacred history knows several cases of such attempts to steal Grace, attempts by deception to get something that does not belong by the right of God.

One such attempt is described in the book of Numbers:

“Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men. And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown. And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord?

And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face. And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, even tomorrow the Lord will show who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him. This do; take you censers, Korah, and all his company, and put fire therein, and put incense in them before the Lord tomorrow: and it shall be that the man whom the Lord doth choose, he shall be holy. <…>

And take every man his censer, and put incense in them, and bring ye before the Lord every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also, and Aaron, each of you his censer. And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron. And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the congregation. <…>

And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him. And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of their's, lest ye be consumed in all their sins. So they got up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children.

And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind. If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the Lord hath not sent me. But if the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the Lord.

And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation. And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also." (Numbers 16:1-34).

How can the OCU think now, after such an obvious spit in the face of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, to ask it for recognition as the Local Church?

The second case is described in the book of Acts of the Apostles:

“Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, ‘In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.’ Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?’ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.” (Acts 19:13-17)

You can deceive the Israeli police, you can deceive the Patriarch of Jerusalem, but you cannot deceive our Lord!

A few questions to the "priests" from the OCU: do you really hope to receive the Grace of God through such false and insolent actions? Are you not afraid that God can punish you for such blasphemy? Do you really think that your religious organization will benefit from your evil deeds?

And the question for all: how much more lie, deception, violence, and theft are needed to understand the true nature of the OCU?