“Unofficial biography” of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry

What is he like, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry? We read his interviews on current topics, listen to his sermons during services, but what do we know about him? Only what the lines of the official biography contain.

September 17 marked one month since the enthronement of the new Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and just on the eve of this date his first big interview with church media took place. Chief editors of the Orthodox magazine for youth “Otrok. ua » Bishop Jonah of Obukhov, Orthodox radio programs on radio “Era” Protodeacon Nikolai Lysenko and the information portal “Orthodoxy in Ukraine” Yulia Kominko visited His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry.

The “signature style” of His Beatitude’s answers is light, with good humor; friendly, interested, open; laconic and wise and willing to calmly discuss any topic. Our hour and a half emotional conversation flowed from one topic to another, and we had to end it not because there were not enough questions, but because time ran out too quickly.

About childhood years and childhood impressions; about the decision to accept the priesthood and how life developed from there; about Chernivtsi, Jordanville, and now Kyiv; about schism, the Internet and real church problems, read in the interview. Source “Orthodoxy in Ukraine”.

Even the Soviet bosses respected my priest father

- Your Beatitude, we know that your father was a priest. Were there any other clergy in your family?

- Yes, I was born into the family of a priest. My father’s brother was also a priest. He served in our village when Bukovina was occupied by Romania. My father was ordained already in Soviet times.

“It probably wasn’t easy to choose this path back then...

— It’s not easy... My father first worked as a warehouse manager on a collective farm. There is so much stuff there - from bread, all kinds of food and ending with household goods - shovels, rakes. I came to him when I was little, climbed through those warehouses - it was interesting...

My father did not study at the seminary; he completed pastoral courses at the diocesan administration. There were these in the 50s. We, little ones, didn’t even know that he went to the course. And then he was ordained.

I can say that my father was very respected in our village. He worked a lot, and I think he earned good money. But he left everything and became a priest. For this, everyone respected him, even the Soviet bosses.

He did not serve in our village. We then had one village council, but divided: the village where I was born was called Korytnoye, and the second was called Berezhonka. It was in Berezhonka that he served. He baptized many at home and married many. People trusted him.

I remember how I, already a monk, came home to visit, late in the evening people came to him to baptize their children. A car pulls up, they take the child out of it, and quietly go into the house with her. And in the house everything is ready for baptism. Sometimes he got married at night.

— Did he have enough time to communicate with you children?

— I talked, but there wasn’t much free time. The priest gives all of himself to people, and such crumbs remain for the family - like crumbs from the table. He comes home after the service, tired and exhausted. You just have to endure it, NOT turn it inside out - like, talk to us, tell us. He may already barely move his tongue...

But there were times when he told us something from the lives of saints. I remember, when I was still little, he talked about St. Basil the Great - a former scientist, he left everything and became a monk. And as he stood up to pray, the sun was still shining on the back of his head, and when he finished his prayer, the sun was already shining in his face. That is, he prayed all night - from sunset to sunrise. I remembered it so much that I then thought: “I want to be like this!” Then I forgot about it, grew up like all children...

But I went to church all the time. Not always willingly, though... (smiles and pauses - ed.). I wanted to play football: on Sunday in the morning the teams gather, and my mother: “Go to church, get ready for church.” Father went very early, we did not go with him. He got up while it was still dark, read the rule and then walked, and we were already at the beginning of the Liturgy. Mom gathers us, leads us, and I was complaining: “God, it’s so good, the guys are playing football, but I have to go to church.”

- Why then, at such a time - the flourishing of atheistic sentiments - did your father decide to become a priest, what influenced him?

- I can not tell. I think it was an impulse of his soul, a calling. If there is no God's calling, then no one can bear it. After all, he doomed himself to shame and reproach. People respected him very much, but in society, in the state, everyone then said that priests were obscurantists and deceivers.

— How did you children perceive this attitude towards your father?

- Yes, we weren’t praised either. We went to church and never renounced God. They called us names too, but we endured them. What was to be done? There was a time when there were no options.

— Were you a pioneer, a Komsomol member?

— To be honest, I was neither a pioneer nor a Komsomol member. My class teacher was my older brother’s wife, that is, she was not a stranger. And as they said that they would accept me as a pioneer, I didn’t go to school that day and so I did NOT join the pioneers. But she forced me to put on a tie and walk around in it, because she was already reproached: they say, for being a daughter-in-law...

And I didn’t join the Komsomol. Although we were literally forced: they called us into the teachers’ room and made us kneel (there were several of us guys who didn’t want to join the Komsomol). We were on our knees for hours...

— How many children did you have in your family?

- Four.

-Are you the youngest?

— The penultimate one (smiles thoughtfully). We were three brothers and after me a younger sister.

The elder brother also became a priest. It’s been two years since he died, and all the other brothers and sister died, I was the only one left.

Buried brothers and sister

News on the topic Metropolitan Onuphry was enthroned as the head of the UOC (MP) - When we learned about his election, we rejoiced like children for our fellow countryman. And then it became sad: now he will come to us less often. But a person like Metropolitan Onufriy is worth sharing with other regions, says Nikolai Mintenko, chairman of the village council of Korytny .
It is a fact that absolutely everyone in Korytnoye knows and loves the Metropolitan. They also remember their relatives - Orest Vladimirovich Berezovsky (secular name, patronymic and surname) was born 70 years ago in the family of a priest.

“His father, Vladimir, was also a good man, practically trouble-free. Everyone could spend the night and eat at his house. Times were hard then, wartime, they say in the village council. But the Metropolitan’s mother, Mother Yulia, was often sick, rarely left the house, and mostly took care of the housework - Vladimir’s father had a large household. By the way, the Metropolitan’s uncle was also a priest!

When I entered the seminary, I “burned” all my bridges behind me

— After school, when you had to choose your life path, did you have any doubts about what to do next in life?

- I had big plans! This is what I dreamed of: to study at a university, graduate, and then go to seminary.

After school, he graduated from a vocational school, then went to preparatory courses at the university. I studied for a year and entered the Chernivtsi Technical University as an evening student. I worked during the day - I had to live on something, because my father did not help. It’s not that he couldn’t help, he could, but he didn’t do it on principle. He said: “I raised you, you got an education, now you have to help me, and not I you.” And he didn’t give me a penny. So I had to work. And working during the day, I went to study in the evening.

From somewhere I had a terrible desire to learn! Although I studied at school, one might say, with negligence. I graduated from school without a C, but I don’t know how, because I never had any books or a briefcase - I had one notebook for all occasions.

And then I studied with such desire... I work until 4 or 5 o’clock in the afternoon, come home, eat, classes at the university begin at six and until 23.30. By the time I get home it’s already 12, by the time I go to bed it’s half past twelve. Get up at half past six, and so on every day. I slept wherever I could - in a trolleybus, a bus. I just sat down and went to sleep...

-Who did you work for?

- An electrician. At first he worked installing low-current lines (he graduated from college in this specialty), and then, when he entered the university, he worked at a weaving factory as an electrician.

Well, I studied. And I studied everywhere! I’ll come to the village, sit on the stove, take books and solve problems... People talk, but I do my own thing.

I completed three university courses and was thinking of finishing two more, but to do this I had to transfer to either Odessa or Kyiv and choose a specialization. I tried to transfer, but it didn’t work. But I didn’t want to study by correspondence, I liked listening to lectures, answering seminars, and doing laboratory work. And at the university I was among the best students, I was even invited to speak on the radio.

I then sat down on a bench in the square and thought: “Do I need to study further?” Anyway, I won’t work in my specialty; two or three years will pass and I’ll forget everything. The general education subjects that I studied in three years at university were needed in my life - history, mathematics, chemistry, physics. And then go on to specialization - why? And I decided that I wouldn’t go any further. He left the university after the third year and entered the seminary.

“It was a time of open persecution of believers. You had no doubts, because young people were prevented from entering religious educational institutions?

- How can I tell you... There was no doubt. Even when I entered seminary, I “burned” all my bridges behind me. I picked up documents from the university to continue my studies at a higher educational institution, and these documents were suitable for the seminary. I left the city, was removed from the military register and left, not knowing whether I would enroll or not. But I didn’t intend to go back, it would be difficult for me. None of my friends knew that I would choose this path - I would go to the seminary.

I decided this: if I don’t do it, I’ll stay in the monastery for some kind of obedience and won’t come back. But God gave, I was enrolled, and I didn’t have to use my, so to speak, “planB” (smiles).

— You took monastic vows a year before graduating from the seminary, that is, you “burned bridges” again?

— I took monastic vows in the 3rd grade of the seminary. I immediately entered the 2nd grade, in 1969, and a year later I was enrolled in the brethren of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Those who studied at the seminary were quickly accepted into the brethren. At the end of 1970 I entered the Lavra, and in March 1971 I was tonsured.

— How did you even decide to take monastic vows?

- I don’t know how... It all happened so quickly. To be honest, in my life before the seminary I had never seen any living monks; the monasteries were all closed. But, probably, this was God’s calling - there is no other way to explain it. God called me and I went.

— Were there people near you who became a kind of spiritual ideal for you?

“There were monks in the Lavra who became for us a model of life and service to God and the Church. Especially Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov). He is still alive, but ill, he is 95 years old... He was an authority not only for me, but for many. He went through the entire war, after the war he entered the seminary, he was a very humble, meek monk. Probably because he loved everyone, everyone loved and respected him.

His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry and the feat of the Desert Fathers

On June 25, the Orthodox Church celebrates the day of remembrance of St. Onuphrius the Great. The life and works of the desert fathers have always attracted the attention of Christians. For us, children of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, this day is special also because we celebrate the name day of our Primate, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine.

We understand perfectly well that clergy do not descend from Heaven, but are people just like everyone else. Naturally, human vices, to one degree or another, are reflected in their church life. This fact in no way demeans the Holiness of the Church, and let his conscience be the judge of every wicked person, but we need to focus on the real lights. I think few people will argue with the fact that our Beatitude really is such a beacon, because even the biased, biased and paid Ukrainian media, no matter how much they want, cannot remove any incriminating evidence on him. It can be extremely difficult to even trivially slander someone who lives a righteous life. It’s not for nothing that our Primate is so loved by the people.

It is unlikely that anyone will argue with the statement that it was no coincidence that Bishop Onuphry was given to us by the Lord during this difficult time. He is not a prominent theologian (in the scholastic sense), nor is he a first-class administrator, but he is certainly a man of prayer and an intercessor before God for the entire Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and this is perhaps more important than many other virtues. It is in this that our Beatitude draws closer to his Heavenly patron.

Venerable Onuphrius the Great. Greek icon of the 17th century. Photo: ruicon.ru

In general, it is quite difficult to compare the life of the venerable hermit and the Primate of the Church. These are two completely different feats. One is an “eternal novice”, the other is an “eternal boss”, one lives in solitude, the other – even with a great desire, it is difficult to be alone. However, there are still similarities.

The Monk Onuphrius the Great lived for 60 years in the Thebaid desert. It’s no secret that our Beatitude also loves prayerful silence and solitude. And he chose as his permanent place of residence not the “noisy” monastery, where there are countless pilgrims and tourists, but a quieter one, remote from the noisy center, the St. Panteleimon Monastery in Feofania. I dare to suggest that our Primate will also be pleased with the name day, which due to the coronavirus pandemic is expected to take place with a small gathering of guests.

* * *

And living in a metropolis, you can always go into the “desert of your heart.” The constant internal composure and concentration of our Primate is clear evidence of this. I will share here one of my observations, which is quite strongly etched in my memory.

Let's be honest and admit that almost none of us listen to the canon at Matins. Let me remind you that, for example, the holy righteous John of Kronstadt always read it himself, since it is in the words of the canon that the meaning of a particular holiday or memorable day is best conveyed. I was like that myself and simply turned a deaf ear to “these incomprehensible readings.” So, while still a student and serving in the Academic Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, I was present at the service at which Metropolitan Onuphry of Chernivtsi and Bukovina was then serving in our church. He sat in the altar on the very edge of a chair, throwing his coat over his shoulders, since it was quite cool in the temple, and, closing his eyes, listened to every word of that very canon that we usually ignore. This made an indelible impression on me at the time and made me think about a lot.

* * *

Let's pay attention to one thought of St. Anthony the Great: “Whoever lives in the desert and is silent is delivered from three battles: from warfare through hearing, from warfare through the tongue, and from warfare through seeing what can hurt his heart.”

St. Basil the Great has more details about this: “Removal from the world does not consist in being outside the world in body, but in order to break away with one’s soul from attachment to the body, to have neither a city, nor a house, nor property, nor partnership.” “, to be non-covetous, not worried about the means of life, carefree, avoiding all communication with people, not knowing human rules, ready to accept what is imprinted in the heart by Divine teaching.”

We will not look into the soul and heart of Bishop Onuphry, but from his way of life we can well see the embodiment of these words of great ascetics.

* * *

The life of St. Onuphrius the Great tells how at the age of ten he went into the desert, wanting to imitate the feat of the prophet Elijah and John the Baptist. The ray of light that accompanied him led the future saint to a certain desert father, from whom he learned asceticism and prayer.

Our Beatitude, throughout his thirty years of episcopal service, has continuously carried out the feat of obedience, no matter how surprising it sounds. The very fact of accepting the primal cross is a difficult obedience for a Christian striving for solitude. Crowded and solemn services are obedience for everyone who loves the silence of prayer. Forced participation in secular events and meetings is real obedience for a person who has sincerely taken monastic vows. What so seduces and is the object of desire for many of us - for a monk and a true ascetic - is a burden that he agrees to place on his shoulders only out of obedience.

* * *

Such a case was described in the life of St. Simeon the New Theologian. One day guests came to his monastery, among whom was a weak man who needed to eat the meat of pigeon chicks. The saint, out of condescension, ordered the birds to be roasted. During the meal, his disciple Arseny in his thoughts condemned the eater, which did not go unnoticed by the Monk Simeon, who, turning to him, said: “Why, Arseny, do you not pay attention to yourself alone and do not eat your bread with humility, with your eyes downcast, but, fixing your gaze on the one who eats meat out of weakness... Why are you, slow-witted, not looking and thinking with knowledge, but so unreasonably within yourself condemned the eater, of course regretting the killing of the birds, and forgot about the one who said; “Let him who does not eat condemn him who eats” (Rom. 14:3)? Now eat from them yourself, and know that you are more defiled by thoughts than by eating these birds.”

Simeon grabbed one of the roasted birds and threw it to Arseny. He did not dare to contradict his teacher and, realizing that the sin of disobedience was heavier than the sin of eating modest food, he began to eat meat against his own will.

This episode is very characteristic, since it clearly shows that what is pleasant to us (or the majority) is not always pleasant to real ascetics and ascetics. And all the more valuable is the obedience of our Primate, who bears it without complaint for our sake.

* * *

Let's be frank and admit to ourselves that we are, to put it mildly, not very good Christians. Let us thank the Lord that, to help our weak forces, the Lord gave us the most worthy of prayer books, a true monk and Primate - His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry, a good shepherd, a worthy successor of the exploits of the desert fathers.

I came to the Pochaev Lavra as a servant and respected everyone. Well, they tolerated me in return.

— The turbulent events of the 20th century — the Great Patriotic War, post-war famine, repressions, Khrushchev’s persecutions — how do you remember them?

— I vaguely remember the post-war period, because I was born under Soviet rule - at the end of 1944.

I remember the post-war upsurge. People lived very poorly, there was extreme poverty and also hunger. But... I don’t know what this can be connected with, but people sang. All day long, guys and girls work in the fields, and then go throughout the village and sing! They didn’t sing early, so they went out at dawn, and in the evening they come home from work, they’ve worked hard, but they still sing.

I believe that there was momentum for improvement then. Although they lived poorly, the movement was already underway. People felt it, and it probably gave them such optimism.

— You know, His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir also spoke about this in an interview. What people sang - both on joyful and sad occasions. And now everyone is silent. What do you think the Church can do for people so that they...

- Did you start singing?

- At least they wanted to sing...

“I think that today the world has taken a slightly different path of development. Modern means of communication and information drive a person into another plane of life - unreal. Communication takes place via the Internet, Skype. It’s one thing when we sit and see each other - maybe we won’t say as many words as we will understand, because often emotions speak more than words.

And this unreal plane binds a person. Unreality is a kind of lie, and a lie is a sin, and sin binds a person. A person does not realize this, he is bound by sin like a bond, and cannot straighten his chest and sing.

— For several years you were the governor of the Assumption Pochaev Lavra. How do you remember the Lavra?

— Pochaev Lavra is a monastery that has experienced a lot. Its inhabitants suffered a lot during Soviet times: oppression, persecution, attempts to close the Lavra...

When I arrived there, the brethren told me what they had to endure. In Moscow, in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, the authorities could not afford this, and on the periphery they carried out real vandalism. During raids, the brethren hid wherever they could. Everyone who was found was dragged to the cars, taken away, arrested, and thrown into prison. Monks were in prison.

And the inhabitants of the Lavra endured everything; they were true courageous fighters for the faith.

I arrived, and almost all of them were heroes (smiles, continues the story lively and with humor). Each one is a nugget: here you have a diamond, an amethyst, and various, various precious stones...

- And how was it for you as a governor there, among such a treasury?

“And I didn’t offer myself to them as an authority.” He came as a servant and respected everyone - amethysts, diamonds, and emeralds. Well, and in return they tolerated me...

Although each was his own authority, and if it was necessary to stand for the Church, then each stood in his own way, but to death.

Metropolitan Peacemaker

His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine

“More than 40 years ago, I made monastic vows to the Heavenly Lord, one of which was the renunciation of my will before the All-Holy will of God. Therefore, I perceive my election as Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine as responsible obedience to the Mother Church, for which I must give an answer at God’s terrible judgment,” he said three years ago, on August 17, 2014, at the end of the Divine Liturgy and the rite of enthronement on the square in front of By the Great Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, the newly elected 122nd Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine Onuphry. It is symbolic that the enthronement of the new Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church took place during the Dormition Fast, on the eve of the great feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, during the most difficult period in the life of Ukraine, when a fratricidal war broke out in the east of the country.

It is also symbolic that Onuphry ascended the primate throne in golden bishop’s vestments and with the staff of his deceased predecessor, Metropolitan Vladimir (Sabodan; †06/5/14), who ruled the church life of Ukraine for 22 years, earning respect even from ill-wishers and opponents of canonical Orthodoxy. Metropolitan Onuphry said about the deceased hierarch:

It is characterized by simplicity, friendliness and accessibility

“I knew His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir even before he became the Primate of our Church, since 1973. What made His Beatitude a special person? His mind is deep, analytical; his human abilities, talents - kindness, responsiveness, simplicity. And all this was decorated with humility. He was talented - talented from God - and throughout his life he developed his inherent abilities. At the same time, all his works were woven with humility, which made him a great, handsome, noble man.”

...So His Beatitude Onuphry, having inherited the virtues of his predecessor, brings humility, as the main Christian virtue, to the forefront - in constant sermons and in the way of his life. It is also characterized by simplicity, friendliness and accessibility. In communicating with people, he resembles a loving father; for everyone who turns to him, be it a simple peasant or a high-ranking politician, he is equally affectionate, attentive and sympathetic.

On the day of enthronement, August 17, 2014, Kiev Pechersk Lavra

A few touches. The author of these lines had the opportunity to observe him “in everyday life” in Chernivtsi, when novices and novices were cleaning the diocesan courtyard before Easter, and the Metropolitan, passing through the courtyard, became interested in planting bushes in the flowerbed and began to help. It looked completely casual, like a family. During the service in the Chernivtsi Cathedral, I also noticed the following episode: one of the subdeacons dropped a bound stack of memorial notes that he was reading, and did not notice it. The Metropolitan, standing in the stasidia to the right of the throne, quickly approached the guy and picked up the notes with a smile. During the same period, while in Kyiv at the metropolis, he approached the door (wearing a cloak and a monastic cap), where he encountered the young priest Vladimir Latynnik, who had come to receive a decree appointing his ministry. The Bishop, with unfailing friendliness, opened the doors in front of him with the words: “Come in, father.” “Do you know who opened the doors for you?” – asked Fr. Vladimir is a familiar priest. “Some kind of monk,” he answered. “Well, yes, the monk is Metropolitan Onuphry...”

We, the staff of the church newspaper, noticed monastic severity back in the early 1990s, when he and the young Bishop Sergius (Gensitsky), now Metropolitan of Ternopil, arrived at 36 Pushkinskaya, where the then legitimate Metropolitan Philaret was seated. Both - in cowhide boots, with rosaries in their hands, ascetically thin, prayerfully collected, they immediately attracted the attention of Kyiv parishioners, who rushed to them for a blessing. Having asked to go to the cell for a conversation, where Bishop Onuphry was staying (before his consecration, he was the vicar of the Pochaev Lavra), we saw on the table next to the prayer book an icon of the Pochaev Mother of God. And after some time it became known in all the dioceses of Ukraine that Onuphry and Sergius disavowed their signatures under the demand of the future schismatic Filaret to separate from the fullness of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Metropolitan Jonathan of Tulchin spoke about the strict attitude towards the fulfillment of the monastic rule by Bishop Onufriy:

Prayer is his constant companion

“I remember about 20 years ago, on a pilgrimage ship, on the way to Greece, I went out on deck early in the morning. Bishop Onuphry and the brethren read the Midnight Office aloud... from memory. Throughout the 17th Kathisma... Prayer is his constant companion. He calls his flock to tireless prayer even today...”

And it is true. From the first days of his primate ministry, Metropolitan Onuphry called on the multi-million flock of Ukraine to pray for peace. Every day, for the fourth year in a row, in the churches of Ukraine, before the Eucharistic canon, each priest or bishop leading the liturgy lifts up the following words to the Lord:

“Lord Almighty, Holy King! Look from heaven and see how the people of our land are at enmity and plotting vain and evil things against each other. Oh, Most Merciful! Forgive our sins and iniquities, for the sake of which many sorrows, misfortunes and fears have come upon us. With the grace of the Most Holy Spirit, water the withered hearts of men with love, overgrown with thorns of self-love, hatred, envy, malice, enmity, wickedness and other iniquities, so that the love burning for You and your brothers may increase, and through it may all strife, discord, divisions in our Fatherland be destroyed . We earnestly pray to You: grant peace to our power, to Your Church and to all the people of our land. For You are the King of the world and Your peace knows no bounds, and to You may glory and thanksgiving and worship be given to You from all, now and ever and unto ages of ages.”

On Athos

The Primate in his sermons and Lenten messages called for combining prayer with the feat of fasting. He blessed each faithful child of the Church of Christ to read one kathisma a day, to read the Lord’s Prayer and “Rejoice to the Virgin Mary” 12 times, and to bow to the ground. “Lent is a time for intense prayers, works of mercy and spiritual exploits,” the archpastor reminded. “Fasting and prayer are spiritual weapons against sin; they strengthen our faith, bring peace to our souls and connect us with God.”

The enemy of the human race opposed the feat of Orthodox believers. Evil voices in the secular media burst out with malicious slander against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church as a “servant of Moscow”, “defender of separatists”, accusing the Primate himself of being unpatriotic and not loving “national values”. To which Metropolitan Onuphry replied:

“If a person serves God, fulfills God’s statutes, rules, laws, then such a person is a patriot in the best sense of the word, because even through a sinner who tries to fulfill these laws, God’s blessing comes to our entire land, to our people. If a person does not do this, then he lives contrary to the Divine Laws. ...You can break your chest with your fist, proving that I am a great patriot, and in doing so harm yourself, your people, and the earth. Because God’s grace is not delivered to the earth through a sinful vessel. So our Church has always been and remains patriotic, but our patriotism is expressed in the fact that we call people to live with God, to be at peace with Him. And in this we find happiness for ourselves, and through this we ask for the grace of God for our land, for our people...”

And further:

Sin divides people, sin creates wars

“Our disorders in the state are caused by sin. Sin divides people, sin gives rise to wars. Repentance, prayer, humility calls upon us the blessing of God. The Lord is always ready to embrace us in His Fatherly embrace, but we ourselves turn away from Him with our sinful deeds, aspirations, and thoughts. Humility is our narrow path to God. He who has acquired humility has acquired peace and tranquility of soul, necessary both for prayer and for serving God. Prayer calls on the grace of the Most Holy Spirit, transforms, cleanses and enlightens our minds darkened by sin. If you pray with repentance and humility, then God will help you overcome all difficulties in life. Through repentant prayer, reconciliation with God occurs, who helps resolve our problems and troubles.”

...On this day, August 17, the Holy Church celebrates the day of remembrance of the Seven Youths of Ephesus, whom the Lord miraculously “put to sleep” in order to resurrect them incorruptible after 200 years and to shame the heretics who rejected the resurrection of the dead and the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And on the day of the enthronement of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine will pray for the end of heresies and schisms, for peace in the country, and proclaim to its Primate many and prosperous years.

As much as I could, I always treated everyone with respect.

— Then there were Chernivtsi... Can you tell us what Orthodox Bukovina is like?

— I think all regions have their own specifics. Same with Bukovina. This is a multinational area. Ukrainians, Russians, Romanians, Moldovans, Jews, Poles, and Georgians live there. And traditionally everyone has always lived in peace. Everyone kept their own, but in everyday life they did not compete with each other, they helped and lived together.

When perestroika began, the collapse of the Union, the region began to be shaken on the wave of nationalism: Ukrainians are good, but no one else...

Then it took a lot of effort to show that everyone was good before God. God has neither a Ukrainian, nor a Russian, nor an American, nor a Jew, nor a Belarusian, but there is His child. There is a creation of God, and there is a Creator. And the fact that we have become nations is not due to virtue or sin. It was our sin that we were divided into nations. The Tower of Babel was the fruit of human pride, and in order to stop this madness, the Lord confused the languages of people. Before this, everyone spoke the same language and understood each other.

When on Mount Athos I visited a hermit, Elder Joseph, in the area of the Great Lavra. We communicated: he spoke Greek, and I spoke Russian, and there was a translator between us. We talked, then he shook his head and said: “Eh-eh, what has sin done to us! We now need translators...”

Everyone boasts that their nation is better than the other. And it is not the nation that may be preferable before God, but the individual! If the nation is unanimous in the love of God, then, of course, it will be pleasant. But God values me not because I am Ukrainian, or Russian, or anyone else, but if I have the fear of God, I fear God. If I obey God, I want to do His will, I am pleasing to God. If not, then no matter what nation I am, I will be the very last.

And when the nationalist movement began in the Chernivtsi region, I tried as much as I could not to participate in it and always, wherever possible, I told people that God does not have a nation, God has His creation. He loves equally both the black and the white, both the white and the yellow-skinned. And whoever humbles himself more before God, who tries more to live according to the commandments, will be better for God.

And slowly everything became quiet. There were some small outbreaks, but people still live in peace and harmony.

“It’s amazing that people accepted the word about peace.” Now calling for peace is a thankless task...

- We must show by example. A priest must preach not only with words, but with his whole life. Of course, every person should do this, but first of all, this applies to clergy.

I have always tried to ensure that my deeds do not diverge from my words, so that I do not live on two planes - I say one thing, I do another. What I say is what I try to do.

As much as I could, I always treated everyone with respect; he loved everyone as much as he could love, he helped as much as he could help. People saw it, and I think it was more effective than words. A person always responds to respect with respect.

— In general, it’s surprising how the believers from Chernivtsi let you go after 24 years of your leadership of the diocese. It was probably difficult for the Bukovinian flock to do this...

- How they let me go... I didn’t even ask for leave. I went to the Synod in winter and never returned.

When there was a threat of an attack on the Lavra in February, they called me and invited me to the Synod. I served on Sunday, got ready and went. At the Synod they determined that I should obey the Locum Tenens. I no longer went to Chernivtsi and lived in the Lavra for six months. And then they were elected to this position.

Heir of Holy Rus': To the 75th anniversary of Metropolitan Onufry of Kyiv and All Ukraine

On November 5, the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church celebrates the 75th anniversary of its Primate, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine

The service of this great archpastor, the true heir of the Holy Russian monastic traditions, who became the Primate of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church during the years of the most difficult trials for Ecumenical Orthodoxy, is truly confessional. Today, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry of Kyiv and All Ukraine is deeply revered in various parts of the Orthodox world. Moreover, in conditions when the hierarchy of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Church of Greece entered into communication with Ukrainian schismatic nationalists, it is the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (a self-governing but integral part of the Moscow Patriarchate) that becomes a true outpost of canonical Orthodoxy.

On the day of the 75th anniversary of His Beatitude Vladyka, the Tsargrad TV channel talked with the famous Moscow shepherd and preacher, rector of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Sparrow Hills, candidate of theology, Archpriest Andrei Novikov. Father Andrey was ordained and served as a priest for 12 years in the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and therefore is well aware of the state of affairs in this part of the Russian Church, as well as the role of Metropolitan Onuphry in modern church history.

* * *

Constantinople : Five and a half years ago, in a very difficult, one might say, catastrophic situation for Ukraine, after a long illness, the former Primate of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir, passed away to the Lord. And first Vladyka Onuphry became the locum tenens, and then the primate. To what extent, in your opinion, was the election of this particular person providential for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church?

Archpriest Andrey Novikov. Photo: TV channel “Tsargrad”

Archpriest Andrei Novikov : Of course, it was God’s Providence. Because in the last years of the life of the late Metropolitan Vladimir, a team formed around him from among the people who eventually transferred to the schismatic OCU. It is quite obvious that these people did a lot to make the Church an ally of the Maidan, in order to undermine the church situation and ultimately lead to the split to which it has been led today.

Unfortunately, Metropolitan Vladimir in the last years of his earthly life was an extremely weak person. And certain forces, I am sure, not without the help of Western and Ukrainian intelligence services (and we know that in the Ukrainian intelligence services even during the time of Yanukovych there were a huge number of nationalistically and pro-American officers) deliberately worked to undermine the situation in the Church. Including through the entourage of Metropolitan Vladimir, and more specifically, through Mr. Drabinko, the former Metropolitan Alexander, who went into schism last year.

And at the very moment when the Church seemed to be most vulnerable, the Lord made it so that it received amazing spiritual strength. It united spiritually, and Metropolitan Onuphry became its Primate. In fact, there was no alternative to him, and when I remember who else could have done it, I come to the conclusion: of course, only him. This is the highest spiritual personality, a true monk, heir to the old traditions of the Russian Church, Russian clergy. And at the same time, he is an experienced administrative leader, a true Primate.

Ts .: The Ukrainian Church exists in the tragic political realities that have developed in recent years. And we see that on the one hand, Metropolitan Onuphry and other representatives of the Ukrainian episcopate refused to stand in the Verkhovna Rada to honor the so-called “ATO heroes.” But on the other hand, the same Vladyka Onuphry is forced to lay flowers at the monument to the “Heavenly Hundred”. And as a result, he finds himself under fire from both “right” and “left”. What would you answer to these people?

Father Andrey : Vladyka Onuphry, and this is absolutely known to all people dedicated to church life, is a supporter of the unity of the Russian Orthodox Church and the unity of our peoples, Russian and Ukrainian. I remember 1993, when, as a seminarian, I went on a pilgrimage to the Pochaev Lavra during the summer holidays.

Pochaev Lavra. Photo: Friedemann Kohler/Globallookpress

And when we were praying at the relics of St. Job of Pochaev, voices suddenly rang out: let us through to the relics, the “saints” are coming! People called two bishops this way: Bishop Sergius of Ternopil and Bishop Onufry of Chernovtsy, the current Primate of the Ukrainian Church.

And I was struck by the appearance of these archpastors: concentrated prayer was visible on their faces. And when they bowed to the ground, and when they prayed, and when, with some special warmth and love, they blessed those praying. It was clear that these were today’s successors of St. Sergius of Radonezh and St. Job of Pochaev, people of the same patristic, Holy Russian monastic spirit.

Therefore, I can never imagine that there could be any betrayal on the part of Bishop Onuphry. Yes, we see now that sometimes some flowers are laid, some words are said... But something similar was in the words of St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow, in the first years of Soviet power. And then Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky), the founder and first hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, published a wonderful article called “No need to be embarrassed,” where he put in place the overly zealous emigration for the words of Patriarch Tikhon, which could be interpreted as complimentary and compromise in relation to Soviet power.

Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow. Photo: pravoslavie.ru

Metropolitan Onuphry today bears a colossal responsibility. And you quite rightly noted that one should judge by his most significant achievements. But the fact that he did not stand in the Verkhovna Rada as a sign of honoring the “heroes of the ATO” was actually a “execution” case. Moreover, even if he stood up, no one would reproach him. And it is precisely by such actions that you can see what his beliefs are. And not by what contributes to the survival of the Ukrainian Church, for which he bears full responsibility.

In fact, Vladyka Onufriy spoke out against the glorification of the ATO, against the glorification of the war, which I would call a “punitive operation” to suppress the popular uprising. And this act in the Verkhovna Rada will forever be inscribed in golden letters not only in his personal biography, but also in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church for many, many years, as long as the Lord bless it to exist.

Ts .: In the first years of the primate ministry of Metropolitan Onuphry, supporters of the so-called “canonical autocephaly” remained strong in the Ukrainian Church, a significant part of which eventually went into schism. Nevertheless, His Beatitude did not follow this path, did not take a step towards allegedly “legally” separating from the Moscow Patriarchate. In today's conditions, this is also a confessional act?

Father Andrey : Remembering the events of 1993 in the Pochaev Lavra, I cannot help but mention another spiritual comrade-in-arms of Bishop Onuphry and Bishop Sergius. This was Bishop Alypiy (Pogrebnyak), today's Schema-Archbishop of Krasnolimansky, a well-known champion of church unity - he was very popular among the Orthodox people. Even then, at the dawn of Ukrainian independence, he was not afraid to talk about unity with Russia, the unity of Russian Orthodoxy and the Russian world.

And then in Pochaev he gave a sermon at a service, saying that there could be no autocephaly - neither canonical nor non-canonical. Any autocephaly is a path to the Greek Catholic Union. Hold on to the unity of the Russian Church, stand by this, everything else is from the evil one. And I remember how a huge cathedral said to Bishop Alypiy: “God bless!”, this was the general mood of the overwhelming majority, the core of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. It has always been like this, and I think by the grace of God it will continue to be so.

Metropolitan Onuphry. Photo: patriarchia.ru

For us, both here in Russia and among real Orthodox Christians in Ukraine, the unity of Russian Orthodoxy is not a subject for discussion, but what was bequeathed to us by our ancestors, and what we will carry into the future. Today, Russia, Russian civilization, is the only stronghold and protection of Orthodoxy and Christians in general throughout the world. By the way, quite recently the Hungarian Prime Minister, Protestant Viktor Orban, publicly acknowledged this by inviting the leaders of the Syrian Eastern churches to a meeting with Vladimir Putin in Hungary.

Of course, the unity of the Russian Orthodox Church is a colossal factor in the global subjectivity of Orthodoxy. What happened a year ago on the part of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople is a step towards the destruction of this unity. Unfortunately, many Greek hierarchs do not understand that they themselves are being used so that, as Hitler once planned, Orthodoxy would collapse into many sects. And now this is being planned by representatives of the globalist elite who run the foreign policy of the United States. I have the strong impression that it is not Trump who is managing this issue, but the same old “Washington swamp”, which continues its harsh Russophobic and at the same time Orthodox-phobic policies.

The fact that Bishop Onuphry now stands at the highest cathedra of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, is its Primate, I repeat once again, is the providence of God. This man is “imbued” with the conviction of the inviolability of Russian church unity, he will never agree to any “canonical autocephaly”, he loves the Russian Church, loves the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, where he began his church service, and, of course, deeply reveres our Holy Patriarch.

Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Photo: Serguei Fomine/Globallookpress

Including realizing the value of the Moscow Patriarchal Throne, which preserves a whole complex of values and ideas that Russian Orthodoxy carries within itself, going far beyond any ethnic boundaries.

And, of course, Bishop Onuphry is an outstanding prayer book; I believe that in many ways it is through his prayers that the Ukrainian Church is preserved today. This is a true miracle! They said that ten hierarchs or even more would go to the schismatic OCU, but in the end only two left, those who were already interfering with the Church, spreading the autocephalist bacillus, and persecuting priests who were fighting for church unity. Thank God that the Church has been cleansed of them.

And now I often call my priest friends in Odessa and hear from them that this persecution of the Church has caused an amazing state: it has become much easier spiritually. We began to communicate with each other more often, we became more united, spiritual friendship strengthened, and our connection with the flock strengthened. That is, this tragic situation in recent years has contributed to the spiritual revival of the Ukrainian Church.

Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Photo: Alexandr Altukhov/Globallookpress

Ts .: But today, on the day of the anniversary of His Beatitude Vladyka Onuphry, how could we, Orthodox journalists, Orthodox public figures, in addition to our sincere prayers, support this great modern Hierarch of the Russian Land?

Father Andrey : We need to speak, write, hold meetings, meetings, conferences more often in order to draw maximum attention to the topic of church unity. And, of course, to educate the church people on the question of what church canons are and why they are important for all of us. Why is the cause that Vladyka Onuphry defends is absolutely necessary, is a genuine confession for which we should value and honor this part of the Russian Orthodox Church.

We must continue to continue to draw maximum attention to the needs of Orthodox believers in Ukraine, to the persecution that still exists in relation to the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. To the seizure of churches, to violence against the clergy and believers. Provide maximum support, including financial support.

But the most important thing is that we all must pray in the words of the church prayer, heard in all churches of Russia during the Liturgy, for the unity of our Church. We must put our mind, our soul, our heart into these words. And if it is not possible directly, then at least mentally it is worth prostrating for our church unity.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' and His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine. Photo: patriarchia.ru

And in conclusion, I want to say that today a unique situation has arisen, when at the head of our entire Local Russian Orthodox Church is His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', and at the head of the second most important see, the Kyiv See, is His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine. These are two great spiritual leaders who have no equal in modern Orthodoxy, unique figures that the Lord gave to our Church at such an hour of unprecedented testing of its unity.

About schism: easy to break, difficult to mend

— Your Beatitude, in your life there was an example of amazing reconciliation. Your communication with Bishop Laurus, the late Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. Please tell us about this. What kind of personality was Vladyka Laurus, and what did you have in common in your spiritual views?

— I met Bishop Laurus in 1995. For the first time in my life, I then went to Canada. While there, I thought: “I’ll look at America at least with one eye.” In Canada I got a visa and went to the United States. From Toronto, where I stayed in Canada, you need to drive 90 km, and America already begins. And on the other side is Jordanville, where the Trinity Monastery of the ROCOR is located.

One God-loving man and I went to Jordanville, and I stayed overnight in the monastery. The person who drove me was a parishioner of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, personally acquainted with Bishop Laurus, and he warned the bishop that I would come.

I was left to dine in the refectory. I sit, eat, and the monks look at me: first one run back and forth, then a second, then a third. How did they imagine monks from the Soviet Union? With a machine gun under his cassock, with a party card in his breast pocket...

After dinner, Bishop Laurus, abbot of the Jordanville Monastery, came to my cell. He was excited and was in a hurry to get somewhere. He asked me a few simple questions and ran. In the morning I went to New York, looked at the churches and the city, and late in the evening I returned to the monastery. When I left Jordanville the next morning, Bishop Laurus came to see me off, he was completely different. He was in no hurry, spoke calmly, and walked me to the car, where we said goodbye.

From then on, when I came to America or Canada, he and I always called each other and met. It happened that I was in Canada and didn’t go to America, then he came specially, we met and talked.

We had different conversations, but we never talked about the unification of the Churches, although our topics still revolved around this. And when the question of the unification of the Church Abroad with the fullness of the Russian Church moved forward, Bishop Laurus wanted me to be part of the delegation that would travel around all continents where there is a presence of the Russian Church Abroad. Therefore, as part of a group of the Moscow Patriarchate, we traveled around Europe, America, and Australia. I don’t regret this experience, although there was a certain feeling of fear - that we would arrive and they would tell us: “The Muscovites have come, well, get out of here!” You are all party members, you are all communists." But this was not the case. We served, almost everywhere I was assigned to preach sermons, and no one said an offensive word to us.

— Vladyka, you touched upon the topic of the unification of Churches. Can I ask a question regarding the Ukrainian split? In 1992, when it happened, you were a very young bishop, only 2 years after your consecration. Now 20 years have passed, you already have experience and see the situation from the other side. What factors do you think are necessary to overcome the split?

— You know, when the Savior prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, he said: “Let them all be one.” The Lord Himself wanted everyone to be one, but this did not happen. We are such stubborn people...

And my desire is for everyone to be united, but the unity must be in Christ. If it is not in Christ, but on some other basis, then no matter what they are, there will be no unity. And in Christ there can be unity, but it is very difficult to create. Easy to tear, but difficult to mend.

—What should each of us, clergy and believers, do at our own level to help restore unity?

“I think that in order for unity to be restored, everyone must take care of their personal salvation.” Then, perhaps, this idea will be realized as much as possible.

But to think that everyone will unite is unrealistic, it is a utopia. Maximum unification can happen when the greatest number of people join Christ. And this is only possible if each of us first of all takes care of our own salvation.

As a shepherd, I must also think about those who are lost, but above all, I must care about those who are in the bosom of the Church. It often happens with us: he drove me into the bosom of the Church, as if into a concentration camp, closed the gates and went to look for others, but these here are dying of hunger.

The primary task of the Church is to take care of those she has, so that they feel good and grow spiritually. There are many of us, and we are all at different levels of spiritual perfection. The task of a priest is to understand at what level a person is spiritually and to help him rise to a higher level.

The main task of the Church is to help those inside the church fence to become better people. And then, if there is still energy left, to catch those running in the desert...

We must do what we can. And as far as our churches are filled with people, this is all in the will of God!

— How then should the Church carry out its mission if almost every priest has a lot of parishioners, and there is simply not enough strength to evangelize?

— The priest preaches the gospel weekly, every holiday, and the doors of the Church are open to everyone. Anyone who wants can come and listen to the gospel.

Preaching the gospel does not mean that a priest should run to the market on Sunday or a holiday when it is full of people, or to the stadium on Saturday when there is a football match. The gospel takes place in the temple. And the Savior, when he walked the earth, mostly went into the synagogue, where believers gather, and preached there. It happened that he preached somewhere in the desert, but people came to listen to Him and He spoke for them. Please note that it was not Christ who came to people, but people who came to Christ.

One might say: why shouldn’t the priest go where he is not expected? The fact is that I can go anywhere, but for a person who does not want to hear me, I will not bring any benefit, although I will speak the most useful and kind words. If a person is ready to accept the word of God, he goes and looks for where to hear it. And going to catch those who don’t want to listen is simply “working without efficiency.” A person must be ready to accept the word.

And priests preach the gospel all the time - in churches.

— Which problems in our Church are real, and which, in your opinion, are far-fetched?

— The real problems in the Church are the increase in sin among people, including church members. Believers, living in this world, joining this world, become polluted by sin.

And the second problem of the Church is that today people have reached such a degree of spiritual degradation, they are trying to legitimize those rules that God condemns. This shouldn't happen.

In my opinion, such problems as, for example, material enrichment of the clergy and churches are far-fetched. If you can build a beautiful temple, build it; if you can’t, build a smaller one. And so - everything that has value only in earthly life should not be a problem for us.

— Your Beatitude, sometimes you have to be on the periphery - in villages, small towns. There are certain problems - there are not enough people in churches. Previously, in the early 1990s, there were a lot of people in churches. How to fill our churches again, how to generally support people in remote parishes? What do you, as the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, see among the main tasks for the near future in order to support church life?

“People leave the temple when they join the elements of this world, strive to get into the flow of modern life, get rich, and take a high position. They think that they will find more for themselves in the world than they have in the Church. This separates us from the Church.

The Church does not promise earthly capital, but promises eternal wealth. The purpose of man is not earthly life, but the Kingdom of Heaven. The earthly path is a short period of time in which we must demonstrate our love for God to the maximum - in trials and various temptations. And the whirlpool of earthly life spins people, and they forget about their purpose. They begin to chase the ghosts of wealth and fame and leave the Church.

We must do what we can. And as far as our churches are filled with people, this is all in the hands of God, because God Himself leads man to salvation. We ask that He be merciful to us all, but each one receives as much mercy as he can handle.

The Monk's Path: Primate's Cross of Metropolitan Onufry

On June 25, the day of St. Onuphrius the Great, the namesake of the Primate of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphrius of Kyiv and All Ukraine, who celebrates this year’s 75th anniversary is celebrated.

Among the photographs of the first half of the 20th century that gained worldwide fame, one is especially revealing. 1936 Workers at the Hamburg shipyard salute with the Nazi salute. And only one, August Landmesser, crossed his arms over his chest. Subsequently, after the Second World War, when Augustus had long been dead, this photograph spread across the media and was included in many books as a symbol of the unconquered spirit of the ordinary German worker.

Eight decades later, a similar episode will repeat itself. May 8, 2015. Poroshenko speaks in the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada and demands to stand in honor of... no, not those who fell in the Great Patriotic War, but... “heroes of the ATO.” The entire hall stands up, except for the three bishops of the canonical Ukrainian Church, headed by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine. The Bishop will explain this gesture as a speech against the fratricidal war in Donbass, which will only increase pressure from the nationalist authorities and Russophobic activists. Pressure that soon acquired the character of genuine bullying.

Photo: www.globallookpress.com /lb.ua

Later, in 2018, Metropolitan Onufriy will be included, with the publication of personal data, in the database of the “Peacemaker” website, a kind of blacklist of “enemies of Ukraine.” And this despite the fact that Orthodox Christians of this post-Soviet republic treat the Vladyka as a true confessor and their own father. Not counting those who left the Church for all sorts of pseudo-Orthodox nationalist sects. Which today are the notorious OCU (HCU) and the so-called “Kiev Patriarchate” of the false patriarch Filaret, who just the other day committed a “schism of schism.”

Alas, His Beatitude Vladyka Onuphry did not have to live during the years of calm sailing of the Church Ship. His entire life’s journey is a time of difficult trials, and therefore a special Divine Providence is obvious to believers in the fact that when the trials intensified, this particular man became the helmsman of the Ukrainian Church. A true monk, for whom Primate service is not just another high reward, but monastic obedience.

The road to the monastery. Lavra of St. Sergius

Vladyka Onuphry never aspired to worldly fame, just as he did not like detailed stories about his life path. The son of a rural priest from the Chernivtsi region, from Bukovina, the future Primate was born in 1944, when his native land was liberated from the ideological predecessors of those who today are trying to drive the genuine Ukrainian Church into a ghetto, and in its place are creating a pseudo-Orthodox simulacrum.

Unlike neighboring Galicia, Bukovina has always been ethnically diverse, and therefore the language of interethnic communication here was and remains Russian, and there was no trace of any radical Russophobia. And it is no coincidence that on the graves of the blessed Vladyka’s ever-memorable parents their names are inscribed not in the “sovereign language,” but in Church Slavonic and Russian.

Metropolitan Onuphry's father, Archpriest Vladimir Berezovsky, served for many years as rector of the parish of the Archangel of God Michael in the village of Berezhnytsia, Chernivtsi region. The same one whose church was seized by schismatics from the OCU in March 2019, despite the fact that in these parts nationalist sectarians are in an absolute minority and rely exclusively on local authorities in their attacks on the Orthodox. Seizure attempts were also made against another church where Father Vladimir served during the Soviet years - the Church of the Apostle John the Theologian in the village of Berezhonka, near the village of Korytnoye, where the future Primate was born.

Father Onuphry with the rector of the Moscow Theological Seminary, Bishop Alexander. 1980s. Photo from the personal archive of Metropolitan Longin of Saratov and Volsky

Post-war childhood gave way to the time of Khrushchev's anti-church persecution. Not as bloody as in the 1920s and 30s, but no less vile, and in some ways more dangerous for the Church itself. This was a time of systematic eradication of the faith and traditions of their ancestors from the Orthodox peoples of the USSR. Under these conditions, young Orest Vladimirovich Berezovsky first chose a different ministry - he graduated from the Chernivtsi Technical School, worked in construction organizations in Chernivtsi, entered the general technical faculty of Chernivtsi University, but already from the third year he went to the Moscow Theological Seminary.

Here, within the holy walls of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, in 1971, the future archpastor took monastic vows, and soon the priesthood. For almost two decades, Father Onuphry would become a Lavra monk, having completed many obediences along the way: he sang in the choir, stood behind the candle box, was the governor’s cell attendant, served as a priest and confessor, and, finally, dean of the Lavra. According to Archpriest Vladimir Vigilyansky, who knew the future bishop well in those years:

In the 1980s, in the Lavra, Father Onuphry was one of the five most popular confessors, to whom long queues lined up, and his confessor was Father Kirill (Pavlov).

December 1986. Trinity-Sergius Lavra. From left to right: Viceroy of the Lavra Archimandrite Alexy (Kutepov) (now Metropolitan of Tula and Efremov), Hierodeacon Longin (Korchagin) (now Metropolitan of Saratov and Volsky), Hieromonk Iriney (Semko) (Metropolitan of Nizhyn and Priluki, who died in 2022), Dean of the Lavra Archimandrite Onufriy (Berezovsky). Photo from the personal archive of Metropolitan Longin of Saratov and Volsk

By this time, namely in 1986, a young graduate of the philological faculty of the Abkhaz University, Vladimir Korchagin, today’s Metropolitan of Saratov and Volsky, came to the Lavra brethren and took monastic vows with the name in honor of the martyr Longinus Sotnik. Bishop Longin also shared with Constantinople the words of his memories of the Lavra period of service of the future Primate of the Ukrainian Church:

There were quite a few senior brethren in the Lavra at that time, whom today I could call exemplary monks. Among them was the then dean. He was very active and at the same time calm. I went to all the services and really prayed hard, and was meek and humble. I never saw in him authority, arrogance, rudeness and other unpleasant traits that are often found among those in charge, even in the Church... I remember once, making a remark to me, he began the conversation with self-reproach: I myself am the worst of all, but I am obliged by my position say. This made a great impression on me, because before that I had never heard such a thing in my life... He was a sincere and devoted spiritual child of Father Kirill and did everything with his blessing. He was greatly respected by his brethren and numerous spiritual children, who came in large numbers to the Lavra from Moscow.

The second memory is again the name of Father Kirill (Pavlov). Constantinople dedicated several stories and programs to this amazing priest, a truly all-Russian confessor, an elder who spiritually cared for the ever-memorable Patriarch Alexy II. The leitmotif of the memories of everyone who knew the priest personally was that this elder showed great love for people and that in any year a believer can fulfill the Gospel, a book that the future elder himself found in wartime Stalingrad, read every day and knew in perfection.

There is no doubt that this behest of Elder Kirill is carried through his life by Metropolitan Onuphry, who, when he finds himself far from Ukraine, for example on the same Holy Mount Athos, loves to perform divine services not as an archpastor and Primate, but like a simple hieromonk. But, it is worth repeating, the bishop’s and primate’s ministry of His Beatitude was obviously providential.

Hegumen Onufry (Berezovsky) in 1984 in the Transfiguration Church in Peredelkino after the baptism of Archpriest Vladimir Vigilyansky’s friend, Vladimir Nikitin. Photo from the personal archive of Archpriest Vladimir Vigilyansky

Viceroy and Archpastor. The beginning of the struggle for church unity

In 1988, in the year of the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus', when the Soviet government finally realized the pointlessness and futility of the fight against the Russian Church, Father Onuphry left the walls of the Holy Trinity St. Sergius Lavra. The new obedience is the vicar of the Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra, one of the main shrines of South-Western Rus', a true oasis of canonical Orthodoxy in Western Ukrainian Galicia.

The times were not easy: on the one hand, millions of Orthodox people began to return to the Church, on the other, local nationalism began to awaken in Ukraine, largely fueled by the Uniates (Greek Catholics). And it was in Galicia that they rose in full force, choosing as the object of their attacks not only the falling Soviet power, but also the Russian Orthodox Church, whose fidelity to this day, in the conditions of a hostile environment and constant attacks, is maintained in the Pochaev Lavra.

During the years of Father Onuphry's governorship, this shrine was truly transformed. The Lavra publishing business was revived, and a Sunday school was opened. But already at the end of 1990, the Ukrainian Synod elected its future Primate as the Bishop of Chernivtsi and Bukovina, the ruling bishop of his native land. It would seem that the event was joyful, but this joy was overshadowed by the fact that it was at this very time that the then Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine Filaret (Denisenko) was already planning an anti-church schism.

Metropolitan Onuphry on Athos. Photo: website of the Holy Dormition Svyatogorsk Lavra

In a crafty manner, the future false patriarch suggested that the Ukrainian archpastors sign a letter to Moscow demanding autocephaly. And only three of the signatories almost immediately disavowed their signatures. Among them is Bishop Onuphry, who was immediately removed from his see for this and transferred to Galicia. This illegal decision of the schismatic Denisenko was soon canceled, and the Bishop of Chernivtsi and Bukovina himself in May 1992 became one of the key participants in the historical Kharkov Council of the Ukrainian Church. The Council, which deposed and banned Denisenko from serving, and also declared the unity of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church with the Moscow Patriarchate.

His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry himself, already the Primate of the Ukrainian Church, noted the significance of this event in modern church history during the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Kharkov Cathedral in May 2022.

Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine Onuphry (center). Photo: church.ua

Thus, in his words:

This was a significant event for our Church. Then the Soviet Union collapsed, and new political and social conditions of service emerged. The totalitarian system collapsed, and at the Kharkov Council the bishops chose a new path of church life. Then the Primate-dictator was removed. And a new Primate was elected - Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine, His Beatitude Vladimir (Sabodan). He was by nature a spiritual person who had a conciliar way of thinking. He was not a dictator, but a man who, when making important decisions for the life of the Church, always consulted with bishops and priests. This is the correct way to govern the Church. And we moved from a totalitarian system to conciliar governance.

Alas, in the last years of his earthly life, Metropolitan Vladimir (Sabodan) was very ill, and therefore allowed such characters as Metropolitan Alexander (Drabinko), who later went to the schismatic OCU, to come to rule the canonical Ukrainian Church. And in this context, God’s Providence is again felt, namely that in 2014, when a nationalist revolution took place in Ukraine, His Beatitude Vladyka Onuphry became the Primate of the Ukrainian Church.

Primate's Cross

In the case of Metropolitan Onuphry, it is especially clear that the Primate’s ministry is a heavy cross. But could this man refuse him? Formally, he could: that year he crossed the 70-year-old mark. But it was in this case that it was most obvious: who, if not him? And who, if not he, was so well aware of the tragedy of the emerging situation? Probably many others, even religious people, would despair at such a moment. Vladyka Onuphry relied in everything on the Will of God and the example of his Heavenly patron - the Venerable Onuphry the Great, about whom literally today, June 24, 2019, he uttered the following words:

His attitudes, his strict desert life are so dear to us all today, when again society is seething with passions and misunderstandings, when again accusations and slander fall on the Holy Church. The Lord always helps us overcome all everyday temptations and difficulties, as long as we do not forget about Him and do not rely in vain on our meager strength.

Of course, this does not mean that His Beatitude has withdrawn himself from solving complex issues.

On the contrary, his gesture in the Verkhovna Rada in 2015, and truly confessional behavior at a reception with Poroshenko in October 2018, when the former President of Ukraine, openly insulting and threatening, tried to break Metropolitan Onuphry on the issue of creating a schismatic OCU, and many other examples clearly demonstrate: if not for the Lord, the consequences of the schism would have been much more terrible.

Thus, according to Archpriest Vladimir Vigilyansky, who communicates with many Ukrainian priests and archpastors:

If it were not for Vladyka Onuphry, two or three dozen bishops would have gone to the schismatics, and with them hundreds, if not thousands, of priests with churches. However, after the tomos, over the past six months, the number of parishioners of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church has increased noticeably. Persecution was beneficial! And all this is thanks to the Lord. This is the role of the individual in history.

None of us knows the times and timing. It is unknown how many more trials the Lord will allow for His Church in Ukraine and its Primate. But there is no doubt: the example of confession of His Beatitude Vladyka Onuphry is a very important example for all believers, from layman to archpastor. And, of course, everyone should pray for this amazing archpastor, whose prayers for all of us, Orthodox Christians, are felt far beyond the borders of Ukraine.

Happy namesake day to you, His Beatitude! Fuck these despots!