ROC Patriarch responds to Archbishop of Artsyz's call to "leave the UOC alone"

Patriarch Kirill. Photo: Moscow Patriarchate’s website

The Patriarch of the ROC responded to a letter from Archbishop Victor of Artsyz, written after the destruction of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa. The response of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church is posted on the Moscow Patriarchate's website.

Patriarch Kirill noted the "sharp and extremely bold tone" of the address by the UOC hierarch, which he attributed to the "state of strong emotional shock" of the bishop.

According to the head of the ROC, on hearing about the destruction of the cathedral, he felt a bitterness that "words cannot describe", as he himself consecrated the temple in 2010.

At the same time, Patriarch Kirill called the reproaches expressed by the archbishop "to say the least, unfounded and unjust".

In Patriarch Kirill’s opinion, the UOC hierarch demonstrated with his letter a "selective approach to the facts", which is "completely inappropriate" in such situations.

In the context of the rocket strike by Russia on Odesa, Patriarch Kirill found it appropriate to recall that "the destruction of churches, the loss, and suffering of civilians began nine years ago in the Donbass". He mentioned that since then, "the entire fullness of the Russian Church has been mourning every destroyed or desecrated shrine" and "praying for every dead person and for those who have lost their loved ones during the conflict".

The head of the ROC also reminded that "the Church of God rests on the stone of Christ's love," and its servants must act with caution and "not give reasons to those seeking reasons (2 Cor. 11:11), to avoid inflicting wounds on the Church with careless public statements".

As earlier reported, a UOC bishop addressed Patriarch Kirill after the shelling of the cathedral in Odesa.

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