In Bulgaria 26 August 2024. on the initiative of the International forum of Orthodox women (informal group) and the Center for geostrategic studies from Belgrade, an international conference entitled: Blockade aggression against the Church - DEFENSE OF ORTHODOXY, was held. The conference discussed the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the attacks on Orthodox Holy Sites in Palestine, the persecution of clergy and the abduction of churches in Kosovo and Metohija, the destructive influence of external forces on orthodoxy, etc.
Metropolitan Luke of zaporozhia of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church spoke on the subject:"National security or religious discrimination? The role of the European Solidarity Party in putting pressure on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church“.
Metropolitan Luka noted that:"the current situation requires the revision of political approaches to religious issues and the strengthening of guarantees of freedom of religion in Ukraine". "In the context of the conflict with Russia, issues of religious identity have become particularly acute in Ukraine. The religious question is now maximally politicized. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has become a target of ostracism and discrimination by political elites, including leaders of the European Solidarity party. This party and its leader have a leading role in shaping public opinion, in which the UOC is perceived as an agent of Russian influence and a threat to national security. This rhetoric, which often turns into aggressive statements, creates a negative attitude in society towards the UOC and its believers, which contributes to the fomenting of inter-religious hatred and creates real risks to the rights and freedoms of the citizens of Ukraine.“
Father Mikhail Kovachev of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church spoke on the subject:"Ban Orthodoxy in Ukraine“.
He stated in his report that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) gave active support to the Ukrainian people during the war: "the Metropolitan of Kiev is with Kiev, the Ukrainian archpastor is with the Ukrainian people, pray for them, support them spiritually and materially. The text describes the UOC's massive humanitarian activity during the war, including Refugee Assistance, medical assistance, and donations to war victims. However, "hatred against the canonical Ukrainian Church is already actively manifesting itself", which includes:
"Over 1,500 churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church were forcibly handed over to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The security service of Ukraine (SBU) since 2022. conducted 41,000 investigations against the UPC over alleged cooperation with Russia and searched 350 church buildings.“
The author warns of the consequences of the adoption of law 8371, which "practically prohibits the Ukrainian Orthodox Church" – "the consequences of the coming pogrom against clergy and believers will be tragic," concluded father Mikhail.
Dragana Trifkovic, Director General of the Center for geostrategic studies from Serbia, introduced the conference participants with the topic:"Position of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and Metohija“. She stated: "the religious rights of the remaining Serbian population in Kosovo and Metohija are particularly endangered, as reflected in the persecution and attacks on clergy and faithful of the Serbian Orthodox church, attacks on Orthodox churches, monasteries and cemeteries, illegal seizure and appropriation of property of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the like". Trifkovic believes that the international forces failed to fulfill their mission also have a great responsibility for the continued violence in Kosovo and Metohija: "respect for Human Rights in Kosovo and Metohija and the general state of security is extremely bad, marked by frequent cases of terrorist acts, physical violence, killings on ethnic grounds, drastic expansion of organized crime, robbery, usurping and destruction of private property, denial of freedom of movement, etc.," she said.
At the end of her presentation, Trifkovic listed the proposals concerning the defense and protection of the SOC in Kosovo and Metohija, which entered the final document of the conference.
The Archbishop of Seville Theodosius Hannah of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church spoke on the subject: "Urgent action is needed to stop the persecution. the church“
In his address, he appealed"to all the Orthodox Churches of the world (without excluding any Orthodox Church) with an urgent request for prompt action to stop the persecution to which the church is exposed in Ukraine, on the principle that if a member of the church is persecuted, everyone should stand on this oppressed and persecuted". In addition, Archbishop Hannah said, "We pray that the war in Gaza will end and that the language of peace and dialogue will rule the Holy Land of Palestine." "I invite you all to pray fervently for the victims of war and that this bloodshed ends in Gaza so that the people of this country can enjoy peace and a dignified life," he said.
Rumyana Chenalova, a lawyer (judge, prosecutor, lawyer) from Bulgaria spoke on the topic:"Legality and legitimacy of law 8371 in Ukraine: contradiction to the constitutional and legal provisions of Ukraine, as well as international and European conventions“
She stated that: "law 8371 is seen as a result of the interests "of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, as well as the puppet government of Zelensky, as well as Euro-Atlantic values, for which we do not know exactly what they are, for which the Orthodox faith represents a danger. The law creates a procedure under which the state service for ethnopolitics and freedom of conscience of Ukraine can conduct checks on ties between religious organizations and the Russian Patriarchate.“ The author criticizes this, stating: "When did the state regulate the content of the statute of legal persons of religious organizations? Never!"Lawyer Chenalova quoted the reaction of Patriarch of Antioch and all-Eastern John X in a letter to the head of the UOC Mitr. Onufry, who defined the law as" collective punishment for millions of believers whose only sin is to remain faithful to the Orthodox faith "and proposed"convening a general council for a comprehensive solution to the Ukrainian church issue".
The author proposes several actions against law 8371, including addressing international organizations such as the UN and the Council of Europe. It points out that the law violates basic human rights stated in international documents: "first of all, the so-called. fundamental human rights set out in the International Covenant for the protection of civil and political freedoms, in the EU special directive on the suspension of religious intolerance, as well as the texts of Article 9. and 10. The European Convention on human rights. That is, the law is discriminatory. The law violates basic rights, first of all, the right to free confession of faith, the right to choose how you will practice – personally, alone, in a group, in an organization,“ Chenalova concluded.
Maxim Kostenko, a religious analyst and former deputy head of the Synodal Department of the UOC for youth issues from Ukraine, spoke on the topic:"The slaughter of Ukraine: challenges for Russian and world Orthodoxy“.
"The current persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is not a consequence of the current military conflict between Ukraine and Russia. This process has much deeper roots.
Its starting point should be considered the centuries-old attempts of geopolitical opponents of Russia to sever its territory, turning its inhabitants into a force ready to wage ideological and persistent war against the Russian state. It was this route that Poland, Austria-Hungary and Germany used to go. In doing so, a key role has always been placed on the transformation of the spiritual code of the Russian people, since the Orthodox faith has been the most important element in preserving the unity of the Russians,“ Kostenko said.
In his address, he added: "special attention could be paid to the topic of increasing interaction between the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Roman Catholic Church (RCC), which openly show the desire to restore prayerful and Eucharistic unity. And it is quite possible that Phanar and the Vatican need the formation of a new union in Ukraine – based on the OCU and UGCC – as proof that the reunification of Orthodox and Catholics without changing the principles of their teaching (dogmatics) is achievable and realistic.“
Diogenis Valavanidis, director of the Center for the protection of Christian identity from Serbia, spoke on the topic: "The heresy of eastern papism destroys the unity of the Orthodox Church“.
"The Orthodox Church has found itself in a whirlwind of numerous political combinations and geopolitical redistributions. I would like to point out in particular that the heresies of the modern age, such as ecumenism, modernism, liberalism, and the new false doctrine of eastern papism, are the greatest dangers that today pose a threat to the survival of the Orthodox Church,“ Valavanidis said. He believes that "the Vatican is in a hurry to celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council (2025). to establish a union between Rome and Constantinople", and that "the main cause of the enormous earthquakes in the entire Orthodox Church lies in the uncanonical decision of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and in a barbaric way to invade the field of jurisdiction, the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate".
Archpriest Sasa Petrovic of the Serbian Orthodox Church, parish of St. Nicholas Church in Omaha, Nebraska, USA, spoke on the topic:"Eastern Rite Protestantism, the destructive influence of Archbishop Elpidophorus on orthodoxy in America“
"During his six-year administration of the Greek American Archdiocese (GA), Archbishop Elpidophorus made numerous steps and made various statements that are in stark contrast to the teaching of the Orthodox Church, which is based on Scripture and sacred tradition, and which was formulated in the Ecumenical Councils and the works of the Holy Fathers," said Father Sasha..
In his presentation, he presented evidence in which arch. Elpidophorus publicly and openly advocates the legalization of abortion, supports sodmia and tramples on all moral Christian principles, praises Freemasonry, kisses the hand of the Roman Pope, openly confesses the heresy of perennialism, that is, the teaching that all religions have a fullness of truth that leads them to God, only in different ways.“ At the end of his presentation, father Saša Petrović concluded that: "arch. Elpidophorus is not an Orthodox bishop and leads his entire archdiocese to spiritual destruction, while from within he destroys the already shattered unity of the Orthodox Church.“
Vasiliana Merheb, a theologian from Bulgaria, spoke on the topic:"the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the fortification of orthodoxy". In her presentation, she provided specific data on numerous repressive actions against bishops and clergy of the UOC. The author points to the specific basic laws that the Ukrainian government violates: "the persecution of the UOC takes place behind the legislative background of the government pretending to be 'democratic', which insists on EU membership, even though it tramples on its own constitution (art. 24 and 35), which states that the Church is separate from the state, also tramples on European law – the Charter of fundamental rights of the European Union (Art. 10 and 21), the European Convention for the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms (Article 9) and international law – Universal Declaration of human rights (Art. 2 and 18), the International Covenant on civil and Political Rights (Art. 2, 4, 18), Declaration on the elimination of all forms of intolerance and discrimination on the basis of faith. faith or belief). 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8), and a number of other laws that are fundamental to democracy.“ "The Ukrainian authorities are discriminating against basic human rights and freedoms, including the right to profess religion and the right to religious gatherings and associations, deliberately publicly insulting the religious rights and feelings of members of the canonical UOC, subjugating them on religious grounds," Merheb said.
Valentin Kardamsky, journalist and editor-in-chief of the portal kritichno.bg from Bulgaria, spoke on the topic:"media aggression against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church". He stated that law 8371 is a precedent that can be used in other states to ban other Orthodox churches. "Silence and acceptance of this fact will become a precondition for the elimination of a number of churches." He also noted that the war in Ukraine is being fought on three fronts, one of which is information, where the regime's mass media distort the truth and indoctrinate society. "And another front-religious. Faith is people's support and hope, but they not only take it away from them, but also use it against themselves.“
After the presentation of the participants, the following common conclusions of the conference were established:
- THE UOC
- Ensure the end of the gross violation of European democratic values and freedoms in the form of violation of the fundamental rights of the flock of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
- To implement the necessary procedural procedures for the abolition of the law on the Prohibition of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which aims to destroy the largest confession in Ukraine, violates the Constitution's guaranteed right of citizens to freedom of religion, undermines the principle of autonomy of religious society. and it aims to grossly interfere in the internal activities of the religious organizations of the UOC.
- Cease the practice of storming the churches of the UOC from "OCU" adherents, members of nationalist organizations, representatives of local authorities, as well as the illegal re-registration of the statute of the UOC communities under the jurisdiction of the "OCU"; bring those responsible for the crimes in question to criminal responsibility.
- Contribute to the end of the information campaign of discreditation and blackening of the UOC, carried out by the leading media of Ukraine.
- Ensure the release of bishops and priests of the UOC (especially Metropolitan Arseniy, abbot of svyatogorsk Lavra), who were detained under false pretenses, impartial and objective consideration of court cases of clergy of this religion, strict respect of their rights as citizens of Ukraine.
- Cease the practice of imprisoning the clergy of the UOC for their subsequent exchange for Ukrainian prisoners of war.
- Lift the illegal sanctions imposed by the decrees of the president of Ukraine against a number of bishops of the UOC.
- Prohibit the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations of Ukraine from shelling Orthodox churches, as well as from organizing fire positions in them.
- Stop the implementation of the religious genocide against the UOC because of its spiritual ties with the Russian Orthodox Church (which, in particular, is expressed in the destruction of the figures of Russian saints, the dumping of appropriate icons and church utensils in the trash, the confiscation and renaming of churches named in honor of saints or icons related to the spiritual history of Russia, etc.).
- Cease political and administrative support of the" OCU", within a framework that weakens and destroys the UOC, as well as violates the rights of its faithful.
- ABOUT SOC
- Protect churches and monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church from devastation and destruction
- Protect churches and monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church from forcible takeover by Albanian authorities
- Stop and suppress falsification in politics, science, education, media, tourism, etc. by which Serbian cultural heritage is translated into Albanian
- Protect the clergy and faithful people of the Serbian Orthodox Church from the violence that is constantly being carried out against them
- Protection of Serbian cemeteries that are being destroyed by construction machines, in order to erase this kind of evidence of the primordial life of the Serbian people in these areas
- Prevent the renaming of the Serbian Orthodox Church in this area into the "Orthodox Church of Kosovo", which also entails a violent change of the title of the property owned by the Serbian Orthodox Church
- Finally, provide the Orthodox Serbian population with a life worthy of man, in accordance with democratic principles and international legal regulations
You can watch the entire conference at the following link:
Source: Center for Geostrategic Studies
- August 2024.
