Home page News
Patriarch of Serbia expresses concern for dis…

Patriarch of Serbia expresses concern for discrimination against canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church

In his message to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the Primate of the Serbian Orthodox Church expresses concern for the new facts of violations of the human tights of the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Below is the text of the message.

 

Your Holiness,

Dear and Beloved Brother and Concelebrant in the Lord:

With profound concern and sincere distress we learn again and again about violations of the rights and discrimination of the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ukraine.

Special concern is caused by continued violent captures of Orthodox churches by local pseudo-Orthodox schismatics and radical nationalists.

With compassion and prayer the Serbian Orthodox Church is following the development of the conflict in the Ptichya village in the Rovno Region, where our fellow faithful have become victims of pogroms and violence; where the Orthodox clergy are beaten up by unbridled fascist militants; where the weak elderly people and women have been locked up in their own church for several days now without water and food, even without being provided with the necessary medical aid.

No less concern is also caused by the recent attempt to take away the Kiev Laura of the Caves from the canonical Church, as we have learnt from the press. The Kiev Laura of the Caves and the Pochayev Laura are great shrines for the whole Orthodox world, and we have learnt with indignation about the intention to hand them over to the schismatics who are not recognized by any of the Holy Orthodox Churches.

By their fruit you will recognize them, says Holy Scriptures (Mt. 7:16). Evil can dress itself up in the clothes of faith, light and truth but its fruits – falsehood, division and hate of the neighbour – will invariably expose it. Schismatics from the so-called ‘Patriarchate of Kiev’ have long been renounced by Orthodox Churches and refer to Orthodoxy only by name. And their disdain for the norms of Christian morality and readiness to hate, to lie and to spill blood is living proof of it.

We pray that the Lord may strengthen Your Beatitude and the Holy Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the feat of confessing Christ and give you strength to oppose the violence and hatred with love and patience in Christ!

Invoking God’s blessing upon you,

+ Irinej

Patriarch of Serbia

Patriarch Irinej of Serbia has also sent a message concerning the present situation to His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and All Ukraine.

‘The Serbian Orthodox Church has heard the call of Your Beatitude to pray for the clergy and the suffering parishioners of the church of the Dormition at the Ptichya village in the Rovno Region’, the massage states. ‘We are lifting up prayers for those who have become victims of pogroms and glaring violence in the village, for the clergy who have been beaten up for the name of Christ, and for our miserable fellow faithful who have been starved in their own church for several days now, denied even necessary medical aid. May the Lord give them strength to confess Christ and go through all the hardships for Him with courage!’

DECR Communication Service

Share:
Congratulations of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill to the President of Turkey on his 70th birthday

26.02.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill's condolences in connection with the murder of the monks of the Ziquala Abo Monastery in Ethiopia

24.02.2024

Address by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at the XII Christmas Parliamentary Meetings at the Federation Council of the Russian Federation

23.01.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill: Patriarch of Constantinople is not a free man

07.01.2024

Christmas Message from Patriarch KIRILL of Moscow and All Rus’

06.01.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill had phone conversation with Metropolitan Ioann of Belgorod and Stary Oskol

02.01.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill expresses condolences over deadly earthquake in northwest China

19.12.2023

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill congratulates Mr Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on his re-election as President of Egypt

19.12.2023

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill welcomes the opening of an exhibition dedicated to the decoration of the Church of St Sava in Belgrade

19.12.2023

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill presides over jubilee meeting of Inter-Religious Council of Russia

07.12.2023

Address by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at jubilee meeting of Inter-Religious Council of Russia

07.12.2023

Patriarchal greetings on the occasion of 60th anniversary of the Diocese of Vienna and Austria

26.11.2023

Primate of Russian Church presents historic miracle-working Kazan Icon of the Mother of God to the faithful and celebrates Liturgy in the Kremlin Dormition Cathedral

04.11.2023

Address by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ to the participants of the World Conference of Compatriots Living Abroad

01.11.2023

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill met with the Primate of the Assyrian Church of the East

31.10.2023

Metropolitan Hilarion: Many things in a person's life depend on faith

29.08.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Holy Spirit is the main treasure of the Christian soul

01.08.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: Holiness is a constant striving to imitate the Lord Jesus Christ

27.06.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: God does not want to condemn, but to save us

07.03.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Lord always grants to us the opportunity to display our talents

24.01.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Lord has imbued the waters of Jordan with his divine presence to wash away human sins

19.01.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: to repent means to change your way of life

17.01.2021

On commemoration day of St. Catherine, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk officiated at the Church of St. Catherine the Great Martyr In-the-Fields  the representation of the Orthodox Church in America

07.12.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: We can always show compassion for people

29.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion celebrates on commemoration day of St. Varlaam of Khutyn at the church of ‘Joy to All the Afflicted’ icon of the Mother of God

19.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: We should remember that the life of each human being is in the hands of God

06.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: For God there is nothing impossible

25.10.2020

Metropoplitan Hilarion: The cross which was an instrument of dishonourable execution becomes the symbol of salvation for millions of people

27.09.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: Eucharist is the wedding feast, to which Lord Jesus Christ invites each of us

13.09.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: Faith alone is not enough for salvation

30.08.2020

Page is available in the following languages
Feedback

Fields marked by * are mandatory required

Send a message
Рус Укр Eng Deu Ελλ Fra Ita Бълг ქარ Срп Rom عرب