Archim. Arkady explains why believers did not return Vinnytsia cathedral

Archimandrite Arkady (Senchukovsky), secretary of the Vinnytsia Eparchy of the UOC. Photo: screenshot of Anatoly Shariy's YouTube channel

Archimandrite Arkady (Senchukovsky), the secretary of the eparchy and a participant in the Great Cross Procession – 2021, explained on Anatoly Shariy's YouTube channel why believers of the Vinnytsia Eparchy of the UOC did not return by force the cathedral and the eparchial administration in Vinnytsia, seized by the "hierarch" of the OCU Simeon (Shostatsky), though they could do that. 

The archimandrite noted that all participants in the cross procession of the UOC, which took place in Kyiv on July 27, are tuned exclusively to prayer, and this is "a message to our opponents that the main thing for an Orthodox person is prayer, the Lord will arrange everything else".

“The Church is Christ's organism; it is the Body of Christ. And where there is aggression, hatred, a message to belligerence, seizure – there is no longer Christ,” he said.

According to the secretary of the Vinnytsia Eparchy of the UOC, the situation in the region remains difficult since the ex-bishop still has very close ties with the local authorities, and they are actively helping him. Litigation for churches continues, and there are cases of new seizures.

But we always defend ourselves, the archimandrite emphasized, and where the UOC communities fail to keep their churches, "we give in, we pray in the street".

“We were proposed to gather people and go in a crowd to take away the cathedral from Simeon. Especially in the first instance, hotheads said: come on, now there are many of us, we can do it. Or take away the eparchial administration, where he has now registered a monastery with one nun. But we didn't. Because Vladyka (Metropolitan Varsonofy of Vinnytsia and Bar – Ed.) said: we act exclusively in the legal field, we go to courts, looking for the real truth, we will not do anything by force. And so he holds on to these foundations.

I think this is right and wise. It is better to sacrifice now, the time will come – the Lord will, we hope, reason our opponents, and they will bring repentance, change their worldview and attitude and understand that the Lord is in the first place for a Christian. If the Christian has the Lord in the first place, everything will be all right. And if something else, whatever wonderful and great idea it is – if it is not Christ, then there will be no order,” Archimandrite Arkady explained.

Read also