UOC hierarch on those who attacked Metropolitan Theodosiy: They serve hell

Supporters of the OCU beating Metropolitan Theodosiy. Photo: video screenshot from @Cherkasy_Blagovest

On October 20, during the Divine Liturgy at the Bancheny Monastery, Metropolitan Longin (Zhar), vicar of the Chernivtsi-Bukovyna Diocese and abbot of the Ascension Bancheny Monastery, stated that those who attacked Metropolitan Theodosiy "serve hell".

In his sermon, the bishop noted that "we have come to this earth to suffer for God, to save our souls," and "today, more than ever, we see persecution against our true Orthodox Church."

"We have seen our metropolitans and priests being beaten, we have seen the lawlessness occurring on the land where we were born and raised," the bishop said.

According to him, "we have never seen such abuse of the clergy and believers as what is happening now," because "now people can enter a church with weapons, threaten the clergy, peaceful believers, the weak, and the elderly."

He underscored that the seizure of churches and holy sites is a great sin. "We are all created in the image of God, so we have no right to call anyone a devil, but the events taking place – they come from hell, and those who struck the metropolitan (Theodosiy – Ed.) serve hell," concluded Metropolitan Longin.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that UOJ subscribers showed how church raiders seized a cathedral in Cherkasy.

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