Orthodox Reflections

His Eminence Metropolitan Theodosius of Cherkasy and Kaniv of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has addressed an extensive open letter to His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, calling upon him to revoke the Tomos granted to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) and to halt the persecution of the canonical Church.

In his letter, Metropolitan Theodosius provides a detailed account of the events of October last year, when Ukraine’s largest Orthodox church—the Archangel Michael Cathedral in Cherkasy—was forcibly seized. “During the seizure, priests, monks, and laypeople were maimed. They were gassed with tear gas; their arms, legs, teeth, and heads were broken. They were shot at inside the cathedral itself,” the hierarch writes.

The Metropolitan expresses particular indignation over the recent visit to Cherkasy by Epiphanius Dumenko, primate of the OCU. “The blood of monks and priests had not yet fully dried on the cathedral’s flagstones; the wounds on the bodies of Cherkasy’s confessors of the faith had not yet healed, and yet Mr. Dumenko had already arrived at the seized cathedral and unlawfully ascended my cathedra,” the hierarch states.

Metropolitan Theodosius sharply criticizes the Ukrainian authorities for condoning lawlessness: “The corrupt police and prosecutor’s offices and other special services have not given yet, and it seems have no intention of giving, a proper assessment of these crimes committed by representatives of the OCU and their armed mercenaries.”

The letter contains a direct appeal to Patriarch Bartholomew to reconsider his decisions: “You now have not only many reasons but also all the effective levers of influence to correct this tragic mistake. For its fruits have already become evident to the entire oikoumene,” writes the Metropolitan.

The hierarch emphasizes that merely revoking the Tomos is insufficient to rectify the situation; what is necessary is the “revocation of the legalization of Ukrainian schismatics.” “They must repent of the sin of schism, and only then can the question be raised of performing lawful ordinations upon them,” the hierarch notes.

Metropolitan Theodosius also criticizes the Patriarch’s doctrine of the “first without equals,” calling it “alien to the spirit of Church Conciliarity.” Otherwise, the hierarch warns, “the year 2019 will become for the Church as tragic a milestone as 1054 was in its time.”

The letter concludes with an urgent plea: “Today, in Your hands lies both the future peace of the oikoumene and the hypothetical, irreversible schism of world Orthodoxy. We beg You, do not make a fatal mistake, Your All-Holiness.”

Full letter below.

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Your All-Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew!

I address You on behalf of the numerous and much-suffering flock and clergy, monastics, and laity of the Cherkasy Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Please do not consider my direct appeal to You as an act of audacity or a disregard for ecclesiastical etiquette or protocol. I have two weighty reasons for this.

The first is that, in times past, long before the events connected with the granting of the Tomos to the OCU, when we served together and conversed at the ancient monastery of Panagia Soumela, and also had prolonged discussions at the Phanar, You Yourself granted me this right—to speak with You directly concerning the problems of Orthodoxy in Ukraine. And I would sin before God and before men if I did not avail myself of this right now. The second reason is the tragic circumstances in which my eparchy, and indeed all of Orthodoxy in Ukraine, now finds itself.

The Cherkasy Eparchy, which I head, is one of the most afflicted eparchies of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. It has suffered at the hands of, to use the words of the Gospel, “thieves and robbers” from the so-called “Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” who “did not enter through the door” into the Church’s fence but “climbed in by some other way” (John 10:1). They did this according to Your decision, Your All-Holiness. And now, like thieves and robbers, they dare to boss in the vineyard of Christ. They beat and wound the servants of the True Master—Christ; they divide His children’s garments among themselves; they overturn baskets and trample the grapes. For their crimes in Cherkasy, the representatives of the OCU have not been punished, and their misdeeds have still not received due moral condemnation from Your side, Your All-Holiness. Although all of us here in Ukraine were eagerly awaiting this.

Recently, You gave an interview to French television. It coincided with the visit to my cathedral city of Cherkasy by the leader of the “Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” created by Your blessing, Epiphanius Dumenko. He performed his rite in Cherkasy—which I dare not call a divine service—in my cathedral, bloodily seized by militants less than a year ago. The blood of monks and priests had not yet fully dried on the cathedral’s flagstones; the wounds on the bodies of Cherkasy’s confessors of the faith had not yet healed, and yet Mr. Dumenko had already arrived at the seized cathedral and unlawfully ascended my cathedra. He performed his rite using stolen liturgical vessels, including the Chalice which was personally gifted to me by my spiritual children many years ago at my episcopal consecration. He was served by the altar boys wearing liturgical sticharia forcibly taken from us. Meanwhile, on the cathedral’s gallery, adherents of the OCU had piled icons of saints into a heap—saints whom they, for political reasons, do not recognize as saints.

The largest Orthodox temple in Ukraine, the Archangel Michael Cathedral in Cherkasy, was seized by Epiphanius’s partisans in October of last year. During the seizure, priests, monks, and laypeople were maimed. They were gassed with tear gas; their arms, legs, teeth, and heads were broken. They were shot at inside the cathedral itself. My own cassock was being torn to pieces, my staff was broken, and then I was struck on the head with a baton with such force that I suffered a concussion. Only my monastic klobuk, which softened the blow, saved me from certain death. Shortly before the blow and the concussion, I managed to address You, Your All-Holiness, from the altar, besieged by terrorists, where we sat as hostages. I am certain that You saw this appeal.

The corrupt police and prosecutor’s offices and other special services have not given yet, and it seems have no intention of giving, a proper assessment of these crimes committed by representatives of the OCU and their armed mercenaries. And this despite the fact that the Archangel Michael Cathedral in Cherkasy de jure still remains the property of the Cherkasy Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which I head, while the invaders are using it simply by the “right of might.”

The Constitution and laws in Ukraine are practically non-functional now, so the lack of reaction to these crimes from the Ukrainian authorities and law enforcement agencies is unsurprising.

But why, Your All-Holiness, have You still not forbidden Your protégés from the OCU to commit these atrocities? After all, You have full authority over them, according to the Tomos You issued. You so often declare that “the Ukrainian Orthodox people are in Your heart.” So why, then, do You not stop these criminals? Why have You not even uttered a single word of sympathy or support for the beaten and maimed faithful residents of Cherkasy, Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, and other regions of Ukraine, if we are “in Your heart”?

Even the United Nations has already given its due assessment of the events in Cherkasy, condemning these crimes committed on religious grounds and calling on the Ukrainian authorities to react immediately. The UN sounded the alarm; in a strictly official document, UN representatives (special rapporteurs) drew attention to the forcible seizure of the cathedral in Cherkasy and the bloody beating of its defenders, including myself. The UN called for an immediate investigation of this crime.

But from You, we have still not heard words of sympathy and support.

In Your interview with French television, You stated that You do not regret creating the so-called “Orthodox Church of Ukraine.” And You should regret it!

Our Church was in a very similar situation after the October state coup at the beginning of the 20th century, when the new Bolshevik authorities instituted persecutions against Christians. They persecuted the Church, among other means, through the hands of the newly created pseudo-church of the Renovationists. Then, to great regret, Your predecessor on the throne, Ecumenical Patriarch Gregory VII, sided with the Renovationists, legitimizing them. Patriarch Gregory not only demanded that Saint Patriarch and Confessor Tikhon abandon his throne but also, through his representative, Archimandrite Basil, blessed the pseudo-council of the schismatic Renovationists. He blessed it with an epistle containing the words, “I am with you from afar!” This same representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate was officially an honorary member of the Renovationist pseudo-synod and constantly participated in the schismatic, blasphemous “worship services” of the 1920s.

Now, a century later, the situation is repeating itself with almost 100% accuracy. The state authorities of Ukraine are persecuting our Church and doing everything for its total destruction. The “Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” created with Your direct involvement, is directly participating in this.

Then, in the 20th century, our people magnanimously forgave Your predecessor for betraying our Church and collaborating with the Communists in persecuting it.

Whether our pious people will forgive You this time as well is a great question. For much blood and suffering have been brought upon our land by the schismatics whom You introduced into the Church—introduced by bypassing the doors, without repentance, without lawful ordination. Introduced “by some other way,” as it is said in the Holy Gospel (John 10:1).

Therefore, it was very strange to hear Your words that in years or decades, a unification of the OCU with our Church will become possible. Believe me, this will not happen, for there can be no union of Christ with Belial. Therefore, Your current uncompromising position, expressed to French television, is very dangerous and destructive. It has every chance of becoming the trigger, the mechanism that will initiate a second great schism in the Church.

From personal conversations with You, I remember that You would like to be an active participant in healing the first great schism of the Church in 1054. But in fact, Your All-Holiness, You may become the cause of a second great and irreversible schism of world Orthodoxy. And if You do not realize this now, Your successors on the throne will inevitably realize it sooner or later, as they will have to clean up these Augean stables. Whether they will succeed in doing so is unknown. But this will certainly darken the memory of Your name in church history.

Today, given the obvious lawlessness of the OCU, You, Your All-Holiness, have all the moral and canonical grounds to put an end to them and to stop the persecution of the Church in Ukraine. Now You have not only many reasons but also all the levers of influence to correct this tragic mistake. For its fruits have already become evident to the entire oikoumene.

Yes, it is not easy for anyone to change their decisions, let alone a hierarch in Your respected position and venerable age. But can some personal honor, or even the honor of the throne You head, be for You higher than the real salvation of world Orthodoxy from a new great schism? Can personal honor become for You an obstacle to stopping the sufferings of millions of Orthodox Christians in Ukraine?

This is impossible to believe. This is something one does not wish to believe.

Your All-Holiness, the faithful of Ukraine will not believe this while You are alive. They, shedding their blood, will hope that the Lord will grant You a change of mind and a change of Your decisions! For we are now undergoing real persecution from the godless authorities in Ukraine and their loyal servants—the so-called “clergy” of the OCU.

Of course, to rectify the situation, it will not be enough simply to revoke the Tomos that you issued to the “Orthodox Church of Ukraine.” The main thing that can now calm the agitation in world Orthodoxy, reconcile its hierarchs from different countries, and heal the incipient new great schism is the revocation of Your legitimization of the Ukrainian schismatics. They must repent of the sin of schism, and only then can the question of performing lawful ordinations upon them be raised. Moreover, these questions cannot be resolved in any way without the participation of the canonical, historically established Mother Church for Ukrainian Orthodoxy—the Russian Orthodox Church, regardless of any political problems of the present day.

And this, in turn, will be impossible without Your rejection of the doctrine alien to the spirit of Church Conciliarity concerning the “first without equals,” which You personally openly proclaimed for the first time on French television. But all of this is absolutely necessary. Otherwise, canonical order and justice will never be restored in world Orthodoxy. And thus, the bloody wound of the new schism will never be healed, and the year 2019 will become for the Church as tragic a milestone as 1054 was in its time.

We place our hope, Your All-Holiness, in Your wisdom and in Your ability to humble Yourself before the ways of God, which are so clearly revealed today to the entire Orthodox world by the Lord. They are revealed in the confessor’s feat of the Church-Martyr, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. They are also revealed in the anti-Christian behavior and malice of the artificially created OCU.

Today, in Your hands lies both the future peace of the oikoumene and the hypothetical, irreversible schism of world Orthodoxy. We beg You, do not make a fatal mistake, Your All-Holiness.

His Eminence Metropolitan Theodosius of Cherkasy and Kaniv of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church