Orthodox Ethos

The hierarchs and faithful of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church are true Christians, who would rather receive beatings and even death than renounce their faith and Church, says the well-known elder Schema-Archimandrite (Gabriel Bunge).
Fr. Gabriel was recently interviewed by the German edition of the Union of Orthodox Journalists.
The discussion first focused on Fr. Varsonofy (Turyansky), the Svyatogorsk Lavra monk who was murdered on August 23 when a group of unidentified individuals attacked members of the monastic community on the territory of the Lavra. He was attacked when he responded to shouts of “Glory to Ukraine!” with “Glory to Jesus Christ!”
As Fr. Gabriel notes, he could’ve saved his life, but he chose to answer like a Christian:
I’m deeply impressed by the loyalty of our brothers, who remain faithful under the most difficult circumstances, even unto death—literally unto death. For this monk could easily have saved his life had he yielded to the demands of his murderers. But he did not.
He answered as a Christian. And all glory belongs to God alone. That deeply impresses me, and I must say that I’m proud to be a member of this Church myself. Because ultimately, it’s the one Church.
Asked whether he considers Fr. Varsonofy to be a martyr, Fr. Gabriel responded: “When all this is over one day… I personally believe that the murdered monk is a martyr and should be canonized as such. He gave his life for Christ.”
Regarding the persecutions the UOC has been facing since 2014, Fr. Gabriel speaks of their faith as a glorious example in Church history:
The loyalty shown by both the clergy and the faithful is one of the golden pages of Church history… They remain faithful to their faith and their canonical Church, even though they’d gain many advantages if they weren’t.
They’d rather risk being beaten—like Metropolitan Longin. I’ve never seen a person with two such enormous bruises around their eyes before. I didn’t even know such a thing was possible.

The revered elder Schema-Archimandrite Gabriel (Bunge) spoke in a recent interview about the schism created by Constantinople in Ukraine, saying that since he knew Patriarch Bartholomew personally, his actions were no surprise to him.
Fr. Gabriel spoke with the German edition of the Union of Orthodox Journalists about the murdered Svyatogorsk Lavra and the sufferings of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church and about Patriarch Bartholomew’s role in the creation of the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine.”
Noting that Patriarch Bartholomew previously recognized the canonicity of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine, Fr. Gabriel says “We all know that Patriarch Bartholomew did not act voluntarily” in creating the schismatic OCU.
“I know from a reliable source that Patriarch Bartholomew said to a Greek ambassador: If the Americans hadn’t exerted such strong pressure on him, he never would have done it—he wouldn’t have split the Church,” Fr. Gabriel shared.
His statement aligns with what has already been publicly acknowledged by OCU bishopsand US and Ukrainian authorities.
Fr. Gabriel continues:
Of course, all of that happened with the goal of weakening Russia. The Ukrainian Church was more closely tied to the Moscow Patriarchate back then than it is today. I mean that in the purely institutional sense.
That’s precisely what disappoints me. Even the Archbishop of Athens, Ieronymos, who’s also a worthy man, was put under extraordinarily strong pressure and eventually gave in.
But why didn’t these people, our Church leaders, just put their Panagias down on the table and say: “No, not me. I don’t want to tarnish my good name?”
Schism is an unforgivable sin, Fr. Gabriel highlights:
I personally can’t understand this. That’s why I keep asking myself: Do these people really not realize that they can’t stand up in the court of history?
A bishop or patriarch who has caused a schism in the Church can’t wash it away—regardless of the reasons—not even with his own blood. So say the Holy Fathers. Not even with his own blood.
I find this terrible, horrific. The thought fills me with terror. In Church history, in the chapters that will be dedicated to this era, all of this is already inscribed.
Further, Elder Gabriel notes that because he personally knows Patriarch Bartholomew, he was not particularly surprised by what he did in Ukraine:
If only he had repented… But no. I know Patriarch Bartholomew personally. I met him when he was young, so his actions don’t really surprise me. But all of this is incredibly sad.
“And we know very well how Church history has ultimately judged this or that patriarch, this or that pope,” Fr. Gabriel concludes.