Metropolitan Boholep on the Pope’s funeral: "The sacred turns into a show"
Metropolitan Boholep of Oleksandriia and Svitlovodsk called on the faithful to preserve reverence for sacred moments and not turn spiritual events into “performances.”
Reflecting on the issue of a superficial attitude toward spiritual matters, Metropolitan Boholep shared his thoughts in connection with the recent funeral of the Pope, which, in his view, revealed modern society’s loss of a sense of the sacred.
“Unfortunately, modern people are increasingly detached from any inner sense of the sacredness of life’s key moments,” the hierarch remarked.
He noted that many attending the farewell ceremony treated the event as a social gathering – “I observed politicians at the Pope’s funeral talking on their phones, even taking selfies, and engaging in animated conversation. For many, the funeral became a platform for diplomatic meetings, negotiations, and informal networking.”
According to the Metropolitan, all of this external activity overshadowed the most important thing – prayer for the departed. Among the many officials present, one image stood out to him – that of a nun who, in disregard of protocol, was led to the Pope’s coffin.
“Only her presence – so lonely, completely unassuming, modest, with no interviews, no backstory – only she, in her quiet monastic prayer, truly embodied the moment that was being broadcast across the world,” the archbishop emphasized.
Metropolitan Boholep expressed concern that humanity is increasingly inclined to turn even the most sacred, intimate, and serious moments of life into a spectacle – and called on Christians to resist this trend.
“The spiritual world cannot be accepted or understood by a heart seeking entertainment. The spiritual life – prayer and inward feeling – cannot develop into something serious and filled with grace if we cannot let go of the hype and personal performance,” the Metropolitan stated.
He urged the faithful to offer sincere prayers for the departed – “Let these prayers be genuine, heartfelt, modest, quiet, and reverent – not for show and not simply out of tradition, but for the sake of our departed loved ones, who are in great need of our prayers.”
Earlier, UOJ reported that European politicians were criticized for taking selfies at the Pope’s funeral.
