The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) has been accused of following the “newest bloody antichrist” by the Primate of All Ukraine.
Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv, leader of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) which is aligned to Constantinople, described a ruler of the “Russian empire of evil” but did not directly name Vladimir Putin in his 1 November sermon.
The ROC and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow have been supportive of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, calling it a “holy war”. In September, the Church stepped up its support for Vladimir Putin’s war by sending more clerics and the relic of a 14th century Russian warrior priest in an effort to aid “spiritual strengthening”.
In the sermon, which had been translated, Metropolitan Epiphanius said: “Unfortunately, the same spirit that prompted the pharisees to reject Christ, that prompted the false brothers to harm the Apostle Paul and divide the Church of Christ on the sign of circumcision – this same spirit of pharisaism and legalism divides the Church in our time.
“For it is precisely this spirit of old legalism that the followers of the Moscow Patriarchate, who divide the Church, are gripped by. They reject faith as the basis of church unity, putting their own rules and regulations in its place, just as the opponents of the Apostle Paul put the main sign not faith in Christ, but old circumcision.
“They place worship of the Moscow throne above worship of the Cross of Christ. Therefore, they reject many Christian brothers and even their Mother Church of Constantinople, but praise the newest bloody antichrist, who rules the Russian empire of evil, and unite with all his like-minded people, regardless of their confession of faith, as their deeds clearly testify. They replaced the conciliarity of the Church of Christ with the “all-Russian council”, instead of peace they bless war, and the cross of Christ was replaced with the letter “Z” and a bloodstained sword, which they raised against their brothers in order to kill them, like Cain did to Abel.”
The letter “Z” has become a propaganda symbol used by Russians to show their support for the war.
Metropolitan Epiphanius concluded: “And just as Saint Paul exposed the hypocrisy of false brothers who replaced the New Testament with old pharisaism, so we expose the teachings of the “Russian world,” which replaces the Christian faith with old Russian imperial chauvinism and false legalism. And although it is difficult for us to resist these challenges, just as it was difficult for the Apostle Paul to resist false brothers, we are convinced that in this struggle against untruth we too will win, just as he won, holding on to the true faith and rejecting the false wisdom of men. Amen.”
The Primate of All Ukraine celebrated the Divine Liturgy at St. Volodymyr's Cathedral in Kyiv, before visiting a memorial in the eastern city of Lviv for Ukrainian soldiers who have been killed.