Abbot of American monastery speaks out in defense of UOC
The abbot of a ROCOR monastery called on Americans to speak the truth about how the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church is being persecuted by the Ukrainian government.
The abbot of the All-Merciful Saviour Monastery of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia on Vashon Island (Washington State), Abbot Tryphon (Parsons), released a video message calling on American Orthodox Christians to stand up in defense of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, reports the UOJ in America.
In the video titled “The Ukrainian Wake Up Call,” Father Tryphon stated that during every service in the monastery, they pray for the land of Ukraine and its people.
“My own bishop, Theodosius of Seattle, is a Ukrainian,” said the abbot. “He was a member of the largest Ukrainian monastery (referring to the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra – Ed.) until it was confiscated by the government, and all the monks were thrown out, and their Metropolitan was arrested, put in chains, and put in prison.”
Abbot Tryphon noted that he had seen videos of attacks on priests in vestments, with paint being poured over them. Churches of the UOC are being seized by the authorities and handed over to the OCU.
“We Americans can have a lot to say in what happens over there if we would just speak up,” the abbot emphasized. “But most Americans have no idea – they simply think that Russia is persecuting everyone in Ukraine, including the Ukrainian Church. It's simply not the case. We need to open our eyes to what is really going on, and we need to speak out in defense of the canonical (UOC).”
Abbot Tryphon urged Orthodox Christians to pray and fast for the land of Ukraine and its people, to commemorate the UOC in their liturgical services, and to tell the truth to their friends and neighbors.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that, according to Bishop Job of Stuttgart, Soviet-era blasphemies are being repeated in the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.
