Reply to Orest Vilchynskyi – apostatized priest of the Lvov eparchy

Dear Orest,

after having read Your letter we were shocked – how could You sink to such depths? You acted like Judas, the traitor of Jesus Christ. We are afraid lest You should end up the same as he did. As for Your “expert theology”, it testifies to the fact that instead of love for the truth You have opened up to demagogical manipulation and to the deepest form of lie.

To confute Your demagogical statements (e.g. that we are occultists, satanists etc.) we do not consider necessary at all. Realize whom You serve: God or the devil – the spirit of lie? The fruit of Your activity is the answer. You know well who proclaims heresies and brings in the spirit of death. You know well who fights courageously against heresies and brings in God’s life and salvation through true repentance and conversion. You are committing a sin against the Holy Spirit when You call us heretics and when You call heretics orthodox. Moreover, You pass on this spirit of death through the religious mass media which thus reveal that they have the same spirit of lie and death as You. The devil is a liar and a murderer (cf. Jn 8:44) and You and the whole heretical system serve him. You are killing innocent and defenceless souls. And You strive to morally kill us, the orthodox Catholic bishops, who point out the true way of conversion and salvation. How would You stand in this moment before the judgement seat of God? Would You be saved or condemned? It is shameful that You consider Yourself a member of the charismatic renewal, and even aspire to be appointed its highest leader by the official Church. Hereby we do not condemn the charismatic renewal, which has a biblical foundation; we just point out that even here one can find people who do not have the Spirit of truth and repentance but the spirit of the apostle Judas. Now it would perhaps be good to remind You that our prayers which You condemn and relate them to magic and kabala were published by You Yourself in Your prayer-brochure “The Lord is my strength” (Zolochiv 2006). We also remind You that You mocked the UGCC hierarchy, saying that there are thieves, drunkards, adulterers and heretical Freemasons among them. Only recently You considered L. Husar a heretic and apostate. We wonder what they promised You that You so quickly became a turncoat. Eventually we would like to remind You that Your “formal” confession of faith is inadequate. You have publicly and consciously united with the heresies of L. Husar and in Your blindness You claim that he does not proclaim any heresies. Therefore You have fallen under God’s anathema in accordance with Gal 1:8-9. You are no longer a member of the Mystical Body of Christ. For You have excluded Yourself, and not only through Your heresies. If You died in this state, You would be eternally condemned. We pray that it might not happen. We repeat: Not we but You Yourself have drawn down God’s curse upon You and separated from Christ. We implore You on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God!

Glory to Jesus Christ!

             Bishops of the Synod of the Ukrainian orthodox Greek-Catholic Church

                                                     + Metod?j OSBM

                                                     + Markian OSBM

                                                     + Samuel OSBM

                                                     + Eliáš OSBM

                                                                                                                                         Lvov, 12th October 2009

Address: Synod of the UOGCC, 3 Sosnova St., Lvov - Bryukhovychi, 79491, Ukraine

www.community.org.ua; pidhirci.community@gmail.com