Before the start of the war, Father Sergei [the hero’s name was changed for his safety] was a hieromonk of the Russian Orthodox Church. Since the beginning of the full-scale aggression against Ukraine, he began to preach sermons, as he says himself, “denouncing the anti-Christian nature of the ideology of the “Russian world”.” Sergei urged people to pray for the repose of all the dead (soldiers, civilians, and journalists), to support political prisoners with letters, and wrote several such letters himself. He also refused to give a blessing to those who were going to go to the “SMO” zone. After that, he was banned from running social networks and preaching. Now Sergei serves as abbot in the community of the Apostolic Church, and when asked how he will make a living, he answers that everything is in the hands of God.
“I’ve been in the Russian Orthodox Church for 30 years, and in monkhood for 20 years. I served as a hieromonk in one of the monasteries [the region is hidden for security reasons of the hero] of the diocese. It began with the fact that I delivered several sermons at the Liturgy, in which I denounced the lies and deceit of the church authorities (without names). After that restrictions were applied to me: they forbade me to run social networks, to preach, and in the end they forbade me to serve.”
“I went to the bishop’s office and explained to him that ROC had ceased to be Christian and had become a department of state ideology. He agreed with me. After that, I wrote a letter of resignation from the Russian Orthodox Church, because it became an accomplice of the aggressor state and supported an unfair war. The bishop tried to negotiate with me, but I didn’t listen to him,” Sergei told ASTRA about his decision to leave the Russian Orthodox Church.
Excerpt from Father Sergei’s anti-war sermon: “The most serious kind of deception is a false interpretation of well-known events. One state attacks another under the pretext of protecting the unjustly offended, declares the war “sacred”, and makes defenders of the Motherland the forces of global evil. Aggression was called a virtue, but that didn’t stop it from being aggression.”
“It brings destruction and death instead of liberation. People deceived by these lies kill others and give their lives for the sake of deceivers who achieve their power goals at a very high price. It shouldn’t be like this! Not only will we not allow ourselves to be deceived and firmly condemn lies, but we ourselves will strictly refrain from the slightest guile. Then the Holy Spirit will reign in our hearts, who will lead us into the Kingdom of Heaven, which I wish for all of us. Amen.”
Although there was one parishioner of our monastery who supported me. I then shared my sermons with her in VKontakte messenger.”
According to the priest, many monks are forced to support the war because of their total financial dependence on the church authorities, the pro-government position of the church in recent years has only complicated the situation. “The monks don’t receive money, but the monastery provides fot them, feeds them. The money is received by lay priests, their income depends on the size of the parish. The monks have money mainly due to private worship services: the consecration of an apartment, office or a car. Over the past few years, it has decreased to almost nothing, because trust in the Russian Orthodox Church has weakened.”
During his time as a priest, Sergei was visited more than once by people whose souls were burdened by the sin of murder, including those who had been to war. The abbot notes that these are all broken people whom he has to comfort. “Both the military and criminals came, they told me that they had been there, how they killed, how scared they were to remember it. You hear terrible stories from them in confession. I understand very well that a person returns from a war with a crippled soul. The priests know this better than anyone else.”
Leaving the Russian Orthodox Church was not an easy decision, says Sergey. “I joined a monastery at the age of 27. The specialty that I had in the world was a massage therapist and a physical therapy instructor. It is no longer valid now, because about 30 years have passed. The qualification is expired. That is, I don’t have any profession. How to make money is yet unclear. The Apostolic Church, of course, does not provide. It just gives you the opportunity to serve. I will somehow hope for God’s help. I hope the Lord will not leave me.”
