The lockdowns revealed those bishops and clergy who were willing to fight for their Orthodox brethren, and those who would throw them under the bus. Hundreds – perhaps thousands – of Orthodox Christians in Canada objected to taking the Covid shot because of its connection to the abortion industry. In almost every case, employers used the public statements of a few North American Orthodox bishops and priests to rule against religious exemptions for these faithful employees, and to justify their firing. Such situations were spiritually very good for the faithful, forcing them to draw close to God and His saints, and to the prayers of the faithful – to reject such apostate bishops and priests, and to leave their churches. The Report of the Assembly of Bishops tells this story in technicolour, as do the annual financial statements of certain Orthodox jurisdictions, who faced financial abandonment by their faithful. While a few hierarchs forbade their priests from writing letters of pastoral support for such faithful in their time of need, scores of other priests wrote hundreds of letters of support, saving the jobs of many faithful at a time those faithful needed it most. If times of division come upon the Church again, as seems likely, one can only imagine these faithful will remember those who were shepherds, and those who were wolves. That is a good thing. https://orthodoxreflections.com/good-news-from-the-covid-lockdown/