The church split began in Ukraine

Church revolt burst among boundless Donetsk steppes. The community of the Holly Assumption of the Monastery of St. Nicholas and St. Basil, the most influential in the east of Ukraine refused to obey to an appeal of the head, the head of initial Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate metropolitan Volodymyr.

The matter is about sensational “Appeal of Churches and the religious organizations to the Ukrainian people” in which the aged Volodymyr together with leaders of the Ukrainian dissenters, members of Uniate Church and Protestants agitates for association with the European Union. Thereby he expressed the full submission to a foreign policy of the Ukrainian power.

The alarm of the largest monastery of Donets Basin became the answer. Monks and parishioners don't hide the indignation. “This document shouldn't mislead the name”, declared the members of a many thousands St. Nicholas community. They claim that appeals to “European integration” sounded from the residence of the most Beatitude metropolitan Kiev are not the expression of a position of all Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Actually, it is only “position of metropolitan Volodymyr (Sabodan) which he shares with representatives of dissenting, sectarian and non-Christian religious associations of Ukraine”.

The application protest was accepted under disturbing bells on huge monastic yard. The text is based on “unanimous cathedral opinion of brotherhood and sisters of the Monastery and its numerous spiritual flock”. In fact, it is an appeal to non-obedience to church will of Kiev. And also a direct call to the fellow countryman - main Ukrainian “European integrator”, president Victor Yanukovych.

Authors of the rebellious statement proclaimed that the civic stand of faithful children of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate always consisted and consists that they consistently rejected the values imposed to them by “European civilization space” and built the public and state life “in indissoluble brotherly unity with Russian and the Belarusian people”.

… So, in the end of September the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate the blessed Volodymyr really put the signature under “Address” which caused the shock in Russian-speaking believers of the southeast of the republic. The second who signed the document was the ardent hater of Russia, dissident, “patriarch of Ukraine-Russia” Philaret.

“It is historically developed that for a long time the Ukrainian people were the part of the European civilization space, spoken in the document. The future of Ukraine is naturally caused by ours historical roots – to be the independent state in a circle of the free European people”.

This choice isn't and can't be considered as opposition of Ukraine to our historical neighbor – Russia, follows further in “Address”. Calling Russia only as the neighbor, the Kiev bishop of Russian Orthodox Church hopes that this most “historical neighbor” nevertheless will try “to recognize and respect the right of Ukraine … to choose the way to the future”.

In reply the confessors of Donetsk Holly Assumption monastery called the appeal for the European integration of Ukraine as “penetrated with hypocritical and crafty spirit”.

The rebels compared metropolitan Volodymyr to “even more ominous characters of bible and church history”. So, the reasoning that the European civilization choice “can't be considered as opposition of Ukraine to our historical neighbor Russia” is compared to Judas kiss. Hetman Ivan Mazepa is called the second “Judas” who has become a reference point for the Kiev hierarches.

“Legislative refusal of Christian identity of the European citizens, a juvenile kidnapping at the state level, a ban of the main Christian holidays and discrimination of Christians, aggressive promotion of sexual perversions and corruption of children is not our way!”, declares the community.

Here it is especially emphasized that their position is defined by the will of the founder of the monastery esteemed in the orthodox people of the aged man – schema- Archimandrite Zosima (Sokur). This is the legendary personality. Even after October revolution in the Donets Basin village Nikolskoe the legend arose: when the monk will arrive to St. Basil temple to serve, two monasteries will be opened here. The celibate priest Savvatiy (future schema- Archimandrite Zosima) arrived in 1986 to the half-ruined temple without an iconostasis and to the scorched shed instead of a priestly lodge. The temple was restored by the works of the monk, the baptistery and pilgrimage room with a meal were constructed. At the beginning of 90th he was made a monk in schema with Zosima's name.

As it is promised the legend, there were monastic monasteries in Nikolskoe. Quickly the number of the people, wishing to serve God under spiritual care of father Zosima increased. Many influential people of the region, known businessmen and politicians became his spiritual offsprings. Among them there was young Victor Yanukovych beginning the career. The aged man crowned him by one-self and often professed.

According to the Yanukovych's memoirs, after one such confession Zosima predicted to him to become the governor of Donetsk region. There are also other revelations: “A month before the death, in July, the Father called me and asked to arrive.

- You will be called to Kiev soon, told the aged man: you have to be in Kiev. You are waited by terrible tests there. But you shouldn't despond, shouldn't be afraid - you have to go only forward...

And he repeated once again:

- “But you are waited there by terrible tests...”

Today the monastery as if blew up. People openly speak supposedly “the aged man damned the president for treachery of the Russian belief”. Remember prophetical words of the will of Zosima:

“The sinful schema- Archimandrite Zosima, the founder of two monasteries … I leave the last will:

… Strictly keep to the Russian Orthodox Church and the Holy Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia. In case of departure of Ukraine from Moscow, whatever there was an autocephaly, – lawless or “lawful”, automatically to interrupt the communication with the Metropolitan Kiev. Not to recognize any threats and damnations as they are not canon and lawless. Firmly to stand up for the canons of the Russian Orthodox Church. In case of falling away from unity of the Russian Orthodox Church, so the ruling bishop doesn't exist, monasteries turn into Stavropegial management, under an omophorion of the Holy Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia. I ask God and hope that the Holy Patriarch of Moscow won't refuse and will accept under the omophorion. If this is impossible, the monasteries pass under independent Igumen management on similarity of the Valaam monastery of the beginning of the XX century, being under the guise of light future times of unity of Ukraine and Russia which, deeply I trust, inevitably will come with what I go to eternal life...”

According to available information, many thousands communities of monks and parishioners of other monasteries were ready to join to a protest of the Holly Assumption of the Monastery of St. Nicholas and St. Basil. First of all, it is well-known Holly Assumption Svyatogorsky Monastery on the Seversky Donets and the most authoritative orthodox center of the Crimea - Holly Assumption cave monastery in Bakhchisaray. Fermentation is in Kiev Pechersk Lavra and Kiev Holly Troitsk Iona monastery – the recognized ideological leader of the Ukrainian initial Orthodoxy.

Now the Holy Fathers of these monasteries openly urge the believers “to get up for unity of Ukraine and Russia” as the aged man Zosima bequeathed. Very similar appeals sounded in the Ukrainian temples three centuries ago, at the time of Bogdan Khmelnytsky and bloody revolts of Cossacks- Gaydamaks.