This year the Religious Procession will be dedicated to the idea of fidelity to Holy Orthodoxy. This aspect is very close to all of us Ukrainians. Indeed, in the struggle for the Orthodox faith, in its upholding, our identity, our collective and state consciousness was formed. Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary, Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary, said this in an interview with News One.
“Let’s remember history. How did some of the forces act, which at a certain stage owned part of the territory of our country? They tried to erode our identity, make us a part of their people, rule over us not only externally, but also internally. For this, various steps were taken, but the main one was an attack on our Orthodox faith. After all, it was believed that if we abandon it, then we will be able to successfully assimilate. In fact, it was not only about the spiritual, but also about the political, cultural and so on, the recoding of the consciousness of the Ukrainian people.
Our ancestors understood this perfectly and therefore fought for the faith to the end. That is why we now have to do our best to protect and preserve what the previous generations of Ukrainians gave, including their lives.
Of course, this is a very difficult task. Since the church schism sown in our country has sprung up with a crop of enmity, conflicts and various plans for the destruction of canonical Orthodoxy. Moreover, at this stage, this schism is trying to replace the real Ukrainian Orthodox Church, forgetting that it is impossible to replace clean water with dirty water without prejudice to the spiritual health of the whole people.
That is why the topic of fidelity to Holy Orthodoxy is so important. If we fall away from him, if we succumb to the temptation to replace God with a new golden calf, behind which various political and ideological concepts loom, then our destiny is to become a dry branch, torn off from the life-giving vine, which is Christ. And, as you know, a dry branch has only one destiny. And she is very unenviable,” said Metropolitan Anthony.
