Modern Nazis in Ukraine: Govt Police Infiltrate Churches, Demand Confessions, Filaret Calls for Open Bloodshed

"This is not nationalism; this is unadulterated Nazism," says Archpriest Andrey Nokikov. "An officer of the Ukrainian Security Agency came up to me . . . in order to help, they needed me to tell them what people say during their confessions"

"The people of Donbass ... must atone for their guilt with suffering and blood," says so-called "patriarch" Filaret.


TRANSCRIPT: 

The split of the Russian Orthodox Church and its aftermath: this is the subject of the new program "Twelve" by Sergey Shargunov, writer and journalist. 

Sergey Shargunov: Hello. This is Sergey Shargunov and the program "Twelve." Twelve minutes about what bothers me. There's little time; the talk will be plain. 

For me, this topic is not leisured or just informative but personal. As I am a son of a priest, my heart feels the schism. 

The Holy Synod favored the unity of the Russian Orthodox Church on its canonical territory. 

Christianity is about love, not about hate, hostility and fratricide. The current split of the Church in Ukraine can only lead to the further escalation of hostility. 

The church conflict, started during the civil confrontation and war, may lead to new, bigger bloodshed. 

Exultant Poroshenko, Bartholomew, acting pharisaically, mischievous Americans — All that is to split Ukraine from Russian and turn it into "Anti-Russia." In order to do that, they ban the symbols of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, banish the Russian language, and just for that purpose, they now decided to destroy the Moskal church. But is the Moskal Church so great? 

Most of the Ukrainian parishes, more than 12,000 people, chose to stay in the United Russian Orthodox Church. Now, those parishes will be seized, just as they have been seized all the time, especially in Western Ukraine. 

Just like in Estonia in the 90's, with the blessing of Constantinople, and with the assistance of the local authorities, our churches were taken away. Just like in the early 20th century, when Russia was weakened by the civil war, Constantinople started to support the schismatic Renovationists, who were basically theomachists, to spite His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon. 

What if there's an assault of Kiev Caves (Perchersk) Lavra tomorrow? It was guarded by the police before, but now they can join the assailants because the President of Ukraine isn't going to remain neutral as the law demands. He interferes in inner-church life, boldly and rudely, uttering bellicose statements about victory over the wrong believers. 

This is Trinity Church in Vorobyovy Gory. Father Andrey Nokikov serves here. He had to flee from Odessa. 

Archpriest Andrey Nokikov:

There is a representative of the SBU in each church, and they listen to the sermon. If they hear something disloyal or something that can be interpreted for the benefit of Russian unity, the unity of the Russian Church, it is reported; the man can be called for an interrogation or even go to jail. I recall that on Annunciation Day, an officer of the Ukrainian Security Agency came up to me — that day I served the prayer service — and there were a lot of people. He said that they respected me and my congregation, and they wanted to help. But in order to help, they needed me to tell them what people say during their confessions, what do they say about those who . . . 

Sergey Shargunov: So, to violate the Seal of Confession?

Archpriest Andrey Nokikov: 

Yes, to tell about the ones who go to remonstrative rallies, who are dissatisfied with the authorities. They said it was for their benefit, to keep them away from the unnecessary actions, which they can commit and harm themselves. Listen, that's just nonsense. That's unacceptable. 

Sergey Shargunov: The canonical Orthodox Church of Metropolitan Onufry gathers thousands of people for huge religious processions for peace. This cannot be forgiven. You can hear the pain for the division of people and the truth about fratricide in Onufry's words. 

Metropolitan Onufry: 

On the basis of war, blood, nothing good can be built. Therefore, the church calls for people to find the strength to forgive each other and to stop killing each other. This is not today's position of the church. It said it always: in 1917, and at other times when there were such wars.

Sergey Shargunov: Here's the so-called "good" pastor Filaret, who once praised the CPSU, and now convinced that the people of Donbass must atone for the wrong vote with blood. 

Filaret: 

Do you think the people of Donbass are not guilty of this suffering? They are! And they must atone for their guilt with suffering and blood. 

Woman: Oh God, why? Why did you kill my child?! 

Archpriest Andrey Nokikov: 

Filaret's church is purely nationalistic. This is not nationalism; this is unadulterated Nazism. 

The "СБУ", shown here, is the Ukrainian Security Agency

Sergey Shargunov: One of the simplest methods of taking away churches, monasteries, and lavras, the same that was used in Estonia, is the new law on freedom of conscience and the re-registration of charters of religious organizations. Then everything is officially handed over to the right people. Everything is taken away from the former church. But since someone is itching for a fight, the aggressors are likely to rush to force-based scenarios. 

Once, President Yanukovych, wanting to score points, began to play with the conflict topic of European integration. Ukraine got such a concussion, it has been living as if on the top of a volcano. Now, Mr. Poroshenko, taking care of additional votes in the upcoming elections, decided to wake sleeping dogs and to unleash religious strife. 

Who knows what catastrophic consequences this may lead to, what territories the unrest may lash on? True, the southeast of the country is the so-called Moskal parishes.

Archpriest Andrey Nokikov: 

Are there Filaret's parishes in the southeast of the country? 

Sergey Shargunov: Yes, though there are few of them. 

Archpriest Andrey Nokikov: 

They're empty. Only a few people visit them. Do you know what the problem is in Odessa, Nikolaev, Kherson oblasts? When I was in the Odessa eparchy, I clearly remember where the schism is. There's not much of it, but still. It's on the border of the Odessa, Nikolaev, Kherson oblasts, where there are immgrants from Western Ukraine who were resettled in the Stalin era. There is schism, but not everywhere. Most of the churches are loyal to the canonical Church. There are former Uniates who are loyal to the Orthodox Church nevertheless. They aren't going to convert. Even there, it is not so simple. 

Sergey Shargunov: In general, what's going on is logical. One can say the spiritual advancement of NATO is taking place. 

Archpriest Andrey Nokikov: 

See what the Patriarch of Constantinople did. He had another option. He could set up his own metropolitanate, start accepting schismatics there, reconsecrate them or something like this. Gradually, he could come to the separation. But he started with the toughest stage. The decision was made in such a way that the Russian Church had no option to mitigate the situation. Yes, it could either obey or separate. Other churches have to choose as well. Maybe it won't be a direct rupture. Our church will demand that they will define their position. I think all of this is conducting the policy of the US State Department and the United States in general. 

Sergey Shargunov: Politics has interfered in the spiritual realm. There has been a geopolitical redistribution. Quite soon, the Moscow Patriarchate will possibly lose churches in Belarus, Moldova, and Kazakhstan. There will be separate nationalist churches. It's already happening, in fact. If the Patriarchal Charter if 1686 on the transition of the Kiev metropolitanate under Moscow is canceled, then the cancellation is applied to Belarus as well. 

Bartholomew, sitting in Istanbul, said all Ukrainian Orthodox shall submit directly to him only. He simply annexed the spiritual ream of the Russian world. All schismatics denounced by Moscow are recognized and supported. It's logical to expect the list of the blessed will enlarge. For example, we remember the White Brotherhood sect that carried out a rehearsal of Maidan in the very heart of Kiev. Hundreds of zealots almost died then. 

Sorcerer Gagik Avakyan can be recognized as the new head of a new church. This is the way he protects Filaret:

Sorcerer Gagik Avakyan: 

Bless my brother for further service, heavenly father, bless his hands, his mouth, so that he may praise you. Glory to you, thanks to you. 

Sergey Shargunov: Gogol's sinister motives triumph. 

Eerie Voice: Open my eyelids! <Sinister laugh>

Sergey Shargunov: The decision to support the schismatics ominously coincided with the arson of the Church of the Softener of Evil Hearts in Moscow. At night, the masked malefactor doused the temple and Sunday school with flammable liquid and set fire to it. Fortunately, for the most part, the temple was saved. But the church's outhouse and the school were destroyed. 

Priest Fedor Yanovsky: 

You see the fire came to the gates. After that part, the church itself begins. Everything here is burned, but the church remained intact. 

Sergey Shargunov: That coincided with the schism. 

To the parishioner's credit, they started restoring the church the next morning after the fire.

Priest Fedor Yanovsky: We had service yesterday despite the accident. The Vicar Bishop came to support us. 

Sergey Shargunov: Indeed, anyone could set it on fire because of the idea or a mental disorder. But believers know that all the providential is symbolic, especially when the shrine is encroached upon. Instead of softening, evil hearts harden. At the same time, the hearts of Christians start burning with ancient fire. If necessary, they will go to the Odessa catacombs, to the underground caves of the Kiev-Caves (Perchersk) Lavra, but they will never betray their Church. 

This historic earthquake is going on. Tectonic plates are shifting. Ancient sacred texts are revised. The ancient story of the persecutors and persecuted is resurrected. 

This was the program "Twelve." Twelve minutes have gone by. See you soon. 


English language transcription provided by Dormition Professional Services.

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