Orthodox Reflections

By Nicholas – member of the Western Rite Vicariate, a part of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese in America

As everyone knows, there is a war going on in Ukraine that pits the Russian Federation against the Ukrainian Armed forces. In addition to the fighting on the battlefield, many Westerners also know that there is some kind of religious dimension to the conflict. Because of Tucker Carlson and other influencers, including American Vice President J.D. Vance, Americans vaguely understand that the Zelensky regime has stolen churches, drafted clergy, imprisoned bishops, and beaten Christians trying practice their Orthodox Faith.

Most Americans, who are at all familiar with the situation, seriously object to their tax dollars funding the persecution of Christians. For Ukrainian apologists, this situation has to be handled with the utmost delicacy, as the unvarnished truth about Christian persecution would further erode the already anemic support Ukraine has among American voters. We’ll talk about the truth of the situation in a moment, but first let’s look at the official narrative.

The official narrative goes like this: the religious conflict in Ukraine is between the Russian Orthodox Church, under the devilish KGB agent Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, and the freedom-loving Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) which was granted official recognition by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople (an American ally!) The ROC is pure evil. It is not even a Church, but rather is an extension of the vile Putin Regime. In Ukraine, the Russian Church forms a subversive fifth column attempting to undermine Ukraine from within. The Russian KGB pseudo-church is too dangerous to be allowed to operate on Ukrainian soil. Therefore, the restrictions, no matter how severe, put on the Russian Church in Ukraine are entirely justified as war time measures. Anyone questioning those restrictions is a dangerous spreader of Russian disinformation / propaganda, and needs to be shunned at minimum, if not investigated as possible traitors to the United States.

As many of you may know, an American pan-Orthodox delegation met with U.S. Representatives on Capitol Hill on 18 and 19 November 2025. They were there to call attention to, and protest, the U.S. taxpayer funded persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). Immediately, defenders of the “official narrative” swung into action across a broad spectrum of social and legacy media. Congressmen even joined the attack, going so far as to draft a letter to the Department of Justice asking for an investigation into the American delegation.

Rep. Luna with representatives from the ROCOR, OCA, Antiochian, Serbian, and Greek jurisdictions Photo: Society of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco

Since the meeting, we have been treated to a constant barrage of posts and mainstream reporting framing the persecution in Ukraine as a battle between the Russian Orthodox Church (headed by the villainous Patriarch Kirill) and the real “Orthodox Church” as represented by the Patriarch of Constantinople. Examples are below:

What is missing in the “official narrative?” Any semblance of the truth, because that would absolutely destroy it. So let us deal with the facts, shall we?

There is no Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is not headed by Patriarch Kirill. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is governed by her own synod of bishops led by His Beatitude Onufry, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine. The title “Your Beatitude” is given to primates of self-governing churches. Metropolitan Onuphry is a native-born Ukrainian from the Western part of the country. He is a Ukrainian leading an independent Church of Ukrainians.

Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv has a history of visiting and supporting children, particularly those who are orphaned, disabled, or from low-income families. He is known for making traditional visits to children’s homes during holidays like Pascha (Easter) and Nativity to offer blessings and gifts. He has also supported orphans of the current conflict and children undergoing cancer treatment. Metropolitan Onuphry has repeatedly condemned the impact of the Russian invasion on Ukrainian children and other innocent Ukrainians.

Metropolitan Onuphry has been the permanent primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) since 13 August 2014, when the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church elected him by secret ballot. His Beatitude was not “selected” by Moscow. He was elected by Ukrainian Bishops in a free election because, even before the war, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was fully self-governing. At the time, even the Patriarch of Constantinople, who would later betray him under U.S. influence (and possible bribes) in 2018, offered him full and unqualified support.

Since His enthronement, Metropolitan Onuphry has been widely admired both within Ukraine and abroad. Prior to the war, His Beatitude was recognized as the most influential spiritual leader in Ukraine. In the rating of TOP-100 people and phenomena in Ukraine, prepared by the Vesti media holding at the end of 2021, experts put the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in 15th place on the list. This was far ahead of any other religious leader. Supreme Archbishop of Kiev-Galician Svyatoslav (of the Uniate UGCC) took 58th place, the Chief Rabbi of Kiev and Ukraine Moshe Reuven Asman came in 62nd, and the head of the schismatic OCU “Metropolitan” Epiphanius (the “Church” founded by Constantinople and the U.S. State Department) lagged far behind at 63rd. Here is a quote from the article which announced the ranking:

“The modest and ascetic Metropolitan is an example worthy of imitation: having withstood the crisis years 2018-2019 under his auspices, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has become steeled and retained its strength of spirit. Moreover, the process is in some way even reversed: among the communities that moved to the newly created OCU in 2018, there are already those who are ready to return back to the UOC,” the compilers of the rating note.

That, of course, was before the war. What happened since?  On the first day of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Metropolitan Onufry offered his blessing to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, giving “our special love and support to our soldiers who stand guard and protect and defend our land and our people. May God bless and cherish them!” He also publicly denounced the invasion and supported both Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He personally appealed to Vladimir Putin to stop the invasion of Ukraine immediately. At the time, the Metropolitan also stated that, “The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) has consistently supported and continues to support the territorial integrity of Ukraine and calls on its faithful to pray for peace in our Ukrainian state and around the world… I urge state leaders and all those on whom it depends, to avoid engaging in a new war. War is a grave sin before God!”

As a result of the Russian invasion, the Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church met in Kiev 27 May 2022 to sever all existing ties with the Russian Orthodox Church. Below is a report from the organization Human Rights Without Frontiers:

In an address on May 17, 2025, Metropolitan Onufriy recalled that back on May 27, 2022, at the Council in Kyiv (Feofaniya), the UOC introduced changes to its Statute aiming at full canonical separation from the ROC. References to subordination to the Moscow Patriarchate were removed, the requirement to receive the blessing of Patriarch Kirill was abolished, and the name of the Moscow Patriarch is no longer commemorated during the worship service in the churches and monasteries of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

 

“The Council introduced a number of fundamental changes to the Statute on Governance, which confirmed the complete canonical independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and its disassociation from the Moscow Patriarchate,” reads the Metropolitan’s statement.

 

Metropolitan Onufry, the head of the UOC, also emphasized that the UOC independently manages all aspects of its internal and external life, including the appointment of bishops, the establishment of dioceses, and the production of holy myrrh.

 

He asserts that after May 27, 2022, his Church is no longer part of the Moscow Patriarchate and hopes that “the whole family of Autocephalous Local Churches” will acknowledge their “canonical independence.”

Metropolitan Onuphry has consistently supported the Ukrainian War effort, and grieves over the Ukrainian parishes lost due to Russian territorial advances. In regard to those UOC parishes in Russian occupied territory, Metropolitan Onuphry said, “Some of our dioceses and believers found themselves in the occupied territory. We often have no contact with them, we can’t really help them with anything except to pray for them. However, these are our dioceses, these are our people, we pray for them, we consider them our brothers and sisters, and we await their reunification with us in a united, independent Ukraine.” Metropolitan Onuphry also declared that he believed that with God’s help, Ukraine would win the war, “I believe that with God’s help we will win this war and rebuild our Ukraine. I am convinced that in order to succeed in this matter, we must be strong and united, treat our neighbors with love and respect.”

Take a look at his face, and explain why you would want this holy and humble man to suffer?

Well, you wouldn’t. What non-evil human being would? Which is why Metropolitan Onuphry cannot be allowed to exist. The anti-UOC narrative would completely collapse if Western propagandists, including many top-level clerics within the Patriarchate of Constantinople, acknowledged Metropolitan Onuphry’s existence and his truly saintly character. Therefore, he must be unpersoned. Buried. Never spoken of in polite company.

The focus must be on Russia. On a demonized Patriarch Kirill. On a demonized President Putin. On demonizing Americans, who dare speak up for Metropolitan Onuphry, as “Russian agents.” Under no circumstances can Western officialdom and its agents allow anyone to see Metropolitan Onuprhy’s face, hear his words, or even know that he exists.

Which is why those of us who support Metropolitan Onuphry, and his flock of Ukrainian martyrs, need to put his face everywhere. When the enemies of the Church speak of Patriarch Kirill and the non-existent “Russian” Church in Ukraine, we need to post images of Metropolitan Onuphry in response. Make them see the man they would crucify. Make them see not an oppressor, but a martyr for Christ. Not a bully, but a man of love and humility. Not Judas, but Job who praises God in the midst of affliction. Sore trials that Western governments have visited upon him and his beloved people. This is an excerpt from His Beatitude’s 2024 Paschal sermon:

God, our Creator and Maker, Himself comes onto earth to suffering people and accomplishes the feat of the redemption of all mankind. The Incarnate God suffers in the flesh for us people, is crucified on the Cross, dies, descends into hell and destroys it, and most gloriously rises therefrom as God. By His glorious Resurrection, the Lord once again bestows upon us eternal life and bliss, returns us the lost Paradise.

 

What great and beautiful love of God for His creation!

In the midst of war and persecution, a humble bishop still gives glory to the Resurrected Christ for His great mercy! All Orthodox Christians in the West, whose governments give billions to the Ukrainian Government that persecutes this holy man, should grieve for how little we have done for him and for Christ.

We need to make the enemies of Metropolitan Onuphry come face-to-face with the truth. The persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church does not hurt Patriarch Kirill. He is safe in Moscow. It does not hurt Vladmir Putin. He is likewise immune to the West’s wrath. When you support, excuse, downplay, and/or ignore what is happening to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, it is this Ukrainian man and his Ukrainian flock that you are condemning.

We, the Orthodox Christians and all people of good will in the West, cannot turn our gaze and allow Metropolitan Onuphry and his flock to suffer in silence.