Faithful of the canonical UOC/MP, pray for them, they under assault today. They need our help now!
Bishop Evlogy of Kremenchug and Khorol believes that Catholic factions are behind the idea of autocephaly for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. “The Catholic West supports Ukrainian autocephaly. Please, remember, the very idea of the so-called ‘Patriarchate of Kiev‘ belonged to the Uniates, who understand the union of the Churches as subordination to Rome“, Vladyki Evlogy said in an interview in the newspaper Kremenchug Pravoslavny (Orthodox Kremenchug).
He sees a “direct interest” for the Uniate Catholics in an autocephalous status for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. According to Bishop Evlogy, the Uniates “understand well that an attempt to introduce autocephaly shall do no good for Ukrainian Orthodoxy, and, more likely, it’ll cause a new, more monstrous, schism within it. It (schism: Interfax) will suit the Uniates well, as they’ll try to dramatically improve their position, not only in the western regions, but, in the whole Ukraine”, Vladyki Evlogy said. He also reminded us that Philaret Denisenko, the head of the schismatical so-called “Patriarchate of Kiev” once voiced his consent to prayerful unity with Rome. However, Bishop Evlogy thinks that Ukrainian Orthodox believers “consider autocephaly a deviation from the faith of their fathers, they don’t want it, and they’ll protect their faith and the unity of the Church”.
Vladyki Evlogy noted, “Instead of working with us for the creative salvation of our people, they’re involved in actions that are specifically directed to provoke a schism. Autocephaly shall being no benefit to the long-suffering Ukraine, only thoroughgoing repentance and a correct spiritual life in Christ in the grace-bearing, canonical, and true Church shall do so”.
26 November 2008
Interfax-Religion
http://www.interfax-religion.ru/catholicism/?act=news&div=27487
Editor’s Note:
Are you sensing… yes, you’re absolutely correct. The Interfax English translator earns yet another Big Green Weenie Award. The last paragraph is missing in the Interfax English translation. They’re always trying to soften the words of Orthodox concerning the Catholics. I’m against hatred. I believe that we can get on well with Latin Catholics as neighbours. They’re what they are. They have notions about the importance of the Pope of Rome that we don’t share and are never going to share. We can cooperate in works of good will and live in peace. However, the Uniates are a dagger poised at our heart, in existence to seduce Orthodox into the bosom of the Church of Rome. Don’t forget 1612 and don’t forget how the Catholics starved Patriarch St Germogen to death.
There’s no “Eastern Church”; there’s no “Byzantine Church”. These are Western constructs. There is the Orthodox Church, and there is the Church of Rome. They’re what they are, and we’re what we are. Why can’t the Church of Rome see that and be content with good neighbourly relations? That’s in our grasp, we should cultivate such. Unity? That’s an impossible pipe-dream, best relegated to the rubbish-tip.
BMD
Voices from Russia 
The Church reminds us that the Blessing of Weapons does not contradict the Commandment “Thou shalt not Murder”
Tags: Aleksandr Nevsky, Alexander Nevsky, Allies of World War II, Battle of Kulikovo, Catholic Church, Christ, Christian, Christianity, Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Orthodox Church, European Theatre of World War II, Great Patriotic War, Moscow Patriarchate, Orthodox, Orthodoxy, patriotic, patriotic movement, patriotism, political commentary, politics, Red Army, Religion, Religion and Spirituality, Russia, Russian, Russian Front, Russian history, Russian Orthodox Church, VOV, Workers and Peasants Red Army, World War II
Russian soldier venerating the relics of St Aleksandr Nevsky. The Church prays for “the Christ-loving host”, so should we.
______________________________
The Church sees no contradiction between the commandment, “Thou shalt not murder”, and the old Russian tradition of blessing weapons and naming weapons and military aircraft after saints. Fr Mikhail Prokopenko, the secretary of the communications service of the MP Department of External Church Relations, was quoted as saying by the newspaper Express, “However, when it blesses weapons and names military jets or warships after saints, the Church also prays ‘for the peace of the whole world’ every day, so that there’d be no reason to use them”.
He pointed up that the commandment, “Thou shalt not murder”, was well-known to the Israelites of the Biblical age, yet they fought holy wars for the Promised Land, and “King David, who also knew it, led holy wars with God’s blessing, as well as our pious ancestors did, who fought wars to protect our Motherland from invaders. I wouldn’t divide weapons into offensive and defensive types. Any army that prepares only for defensive actions will suffer defeat. For instance, what was the Soviet bombing of Berlin in August 1941? Was it aggression or was it defending the Motherland from the enemy? What about ballistic missiles? Are they weapons of aggression or means of deterrence?” He reminded us that during the VOV there was a tank column named after St Dmitri Donskoi, a hero of the Battle of Kulikovo, and an air squadron named after St Aleksandr Nevsky.
Fr Mikhail noted, “The tanks and aircraft were bought with funds collected by the Church and they were built by Orthodox believers. No one can hypocritically oppose naming these units after holy saints, because their purpose was to protect the Motherland from its enemies. This is in direct observation of God’s commandment concerning the love we should show for our neighbours”. He quoted the words of Christ, There is no greater love than this, that a man would lay down his life for his friends. Fr Mikhail expressed his regret that “the world lies in evil, so, frequently, there are situations where the only way to repel wickedness is through the use of weapons”.
24 November 2008
Interfax-Religion
http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=27451
Editor’s Note:
Yes, sir, boys and girls… it’s Big Green Weenie Award time again! The Interfax English translator left out the entire third paragraph. The last sentence truly makes the piece, so, there is no excuse for such laziness and sloth. Let’s not forget… often, Russians have taken up arms not only in defence of the Motherland, but, in defence of Christ’s Faith at the same time. St Aleksandr Nevsky faced Teutonic Knights who wished to destroy Orthodoxy and replace it with Catholicism. In 1612, the Poles attempted to destroy our culture and ram Uniatism down our throats. I should mention that the good fathers of the Sergievskaya-Troitsa Lavra helped man the walls during the 16-month siege of the monastery by the Polish aggressors. If our ancestors had not taken up arms, we would be Catholics today. We owe their memory a debt we can never repay. Our Orthodox Faith exists because they faced the foe and beat him back. Glory to their memory!
BMD