HIS BEATITUDE ONUFREY: WE MUST DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO END WAR
On the eve of the holiday of the 1,000th anniversary of the martyr deaths of the Holy Pious Princes and Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb, the primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan of Kiev and all-Ukraine Onufrey, published his letter to clergy and laity.
In it he called attention to the importance of the example of the holy passion-bearers in our time, which for Ukraine has become a period of particular trials.
"Armed conflict in Donetsk and Luhansk provinces is continuing. An unprecedented information war is continuing. Propaganda is destroying brotherly relations between peoples and disrupting even ties of blood relationships. Where do we seek salvation? How do we overcome adversity and strife, when between brothers in faith the seeds of hostility and strife are sown abundantly, that produce their bloody sprouts? The blood shed in our land in the past year cries out to heaven. Only the all-merciful Lord has the power to shield his faithful from any trouble. Only 'God is our refuge and strength, a help in troubles coming upon us,' (Ps. 45.2)"—the letter says.
His Beatitude addressed to all brothers in faith a call always to remember the responsibility of our holy church and our motherland—Ukraine—to the future. "We must do everything possible to stop the war and to establish long-awaited peace in our state. For clergy, any calls for military aggression and hostility are impermissible. In no case do we have the right to justify war with religious slogans. I call Orthodox believers who today are on different sides of the armed conflict to see one another as brothers and to take the path of reconciliation. . . . If we do not stop the war in our hearts, it will only be heated up from outside."
His Beatitude called all believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to pray fervently to our Lord Jesus Christ, His Most-Pure Mother, The Holy Princes Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb, and all saints resplendent in our land, that God will multiply love in human hearts. (tr. by PDS, posted 15 May 2015)
Editorial disclaimer: RRN does
not intend to certify the accuracy of information
presented in articles. RRN simply intends to certify the
accuracy of the English translation of the contents of the
articles as they appeared in news media of countries of
the former USSR.
If material is quoted, please give credit to the
publication from which it came. It is not necessary to credit
this Web page. If material is transmitted electronically, please
include reference to the URL,
http://www.stetson.edu/~psteeves/relnews/.