A reply to the proclamation of the dean

                               and priests of the Brody deanery

The district newspaper “Holos vidrodzhenya” (The voice of revival) No.101 of 25th November 2008 carried a proclamation of the Brody dean Fr. Mykola Mazurchuk and of the priests of the Brody deanery against the Pidhirtsi monks-bishops. The dean and the priests say in this proclamation that they do not support us, but on the contrary, that they innerly unite with Card. L. Husar and with his spiritual programme. The priests further write that we cause great harm to the UGCC and that we have been excommunicated from the Church by M. Koltun. Finally, these priests demand our deportation from Ukraine.

We hereby respond to their demagogical proclamation:

1)    We do not cause harm to the UGCC, but Card. L. Husar and his adherents do. L. Husar overtly proclaims heresies which are called apostatic, i.e. they violate the very substance of Christianity and the belief in Jesus Christ. In the book “Discussions with His Beatitude L. Husar: On Postconfessional Christianity” (ISBN 966-8197-10-0, ISBN 966-9197-46-1), and not only there, L. Husar preaches these heresies:

1.  he casts doubt on the Divinity of Christ

2.  he casts doubt on the Virginity of the Mother of God

3.  he casts doubt on the eternity of hell and eternal condemnation

4.  he propagates occultism and syncretism

5.  he divines by pendulum

6.  he allows homosexual activity and approves of doctrinal and moral relativism

7.  he casts doubt on the primacy and infallibility of the Pope

8.  he propagates reincarnation

Every Christian who identifies himself with these heresies, no matter who he is, falls under God’s curse and excommunication from the Church according to Gal 1:8-9.

2)    It is a lie that we are excommunicated from the Church. We cannot be excommunicated from the Catholic Church by a heretic who excommunicated himself from the Church by his attitudes! Apart from that, as monks of pontifical right we are not members of Major Archbishopric, so we fall neither within the jurisdiction of L. Husar nor of M. Koltun! Their courts therefore are not competent to excommunicate us. The more so because there was no fair trial but just ordered fabricated proceedings.

3)    The Church is separate from the state, and therefore a demand for deportation on the strength of religious or doctrinal beliefs is a violation of the Constitution of the Ukrainian state and a sign of malice in the hearts of those who forced the dean and his priests to write such a proclamation. Unfortunately the dean and the priests are not guiltless either. They preferred to choose temporary good with a betrayal of the truth and of Christ rather than a clear and just conscience along with the oppression on the part of the apostatic hierarchy, which is now illegitimately occupying the posts in the Church structure.

That which this hierarchy is doing is similar to a demand for deportation and punishment of an Orthodox believer only because he is not in unity with the hierarchical leadership of the UGCC.

4)    What is the matter in fact? We are doing no harm to anyone and are provoking no conflicts. On the contrary, this is being done by our opponents. We as bishops are now, when the Church is undergoing a crisis, obliged to defend the true faith against heresies which are destroying the foundations of Christianity. Only the true faith in Christ leads to deliverance from sins and to obtainment of eternal life in heaven.

The truth of the Gospel obliges us to point out the betrayal of Christ and the Gospel on the part of the leadership of the UGCC. The result of this betrayal is the loss of God, moral decay and eternal condemnation of thousands of people, citizens of the Ukrainian state! The consequence of the heresies of the apostatic UGCC hierarchy is also the spread of bribery, moral scandals and the service to Christ turned into mere business.

Dear father Mykola, we forgive both You and Your priests. Unfortunately, You have stood against Christ. Perhaps Your life will now be easier, but Your death will be hard. Understand that it is not us who are forcing You to the cross but Christ – for the sake of Your eternal good and the eternal good of Your families.

We pray for You,

                      + Metod?j OSBM

                      + Markian OSBM

                      + Eliáš OSBM

                      + Samuel

                                                                                                                                     Pidhirtsi, 28th November 2008

Address: Bishops’ Synod of the UGCC, Pidhirtsi 19, Brody dist., Lvov reg., 80660, Ukraine

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