News from the East: UN says banning UOC problematic; British spies foiled plots to kill Pope; Patriarch laments “catastrophic” toll in Gaza; new Syrian leader meets with Christian clergy

By Matthew Trojacek

Forcibly mobilized Ukrainian priest released after a week

A priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was released after being forcibly drafted for Ukraine’s army. On December 21, on his way home from visiting his wife in the hospital where she had just given birth to their second child, Father Evgeny Rozhdestvensky was taken from a mobile checkpoint to the local military recruitment center. Despite failing the medical examination, he was sent on for military training.

Six days later, his relative, Archpriest Nikolai Karpenko, reported that Father Evgeny had been released.

“This morning, the lawyer was able to get Father Evgeny from the military recruitment office. Perhaps your prayers contributed to certain amendments in legislation, as now clergy have exemption from conscription, and this also influenced the circumstances,” Father Nikolai wrote. (OrthoChristian)

UN report: Ukraine’s law banning UOC is problematic

On October 17, Metropolitan Theodosy was diagnosed with burns and concussion after violent seizure of Cherkasy cathedral. (Photo: Telegram)

Ukraine has failed to demonstrate the necessity of the law it adopted in August to ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, says the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The Local Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church voted to separate itself from the Moscow Patriarchate in May 2022, as reflected in the Church’s updated statutes, though the Ukrainian state continues to brand it as a Russian Church as a justification for its legal sanctions against the Church.

The new UN report notes that the Ukrainian law invokes “national security” as a ground for restrictions on religious freedom, but “neither the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) nor the European Convention on Human Rights include ‘national security’ among the permissible grounds for such a restriction… The dissolution of a religious organization is a severe restriction that affects the ability of individuals to practice their religion or belief together with others and threatens the viability of the community as a whole, which requires very serious reasons by way of justification.”

And despite adopting such radical legislation, Ukraine has failed to make the case for it, the UN explains: “Ukraine has not demonstrated the necessity and proportionality of this measure, such as by showing why less restrictive measures, such as measures restricted specifically to individuals responsible for wrongdoing, would not be satisfactory and sufficient.”

The law’s vague wording and failure to clearly explain what it requires “can result in entire religious communities being held responsible for the conduct of specific individuals. Furthermore, the overbroad and ambiguous formulation may put in jeopardy the right to freedom of expression.” The report also critiques the practice throughout Ukraine of canceling UOC leases to use Church properties, “which, particularly in communities with few churches, may limit exercise of freedom of worship and contribute to social tensions.”

Lastly, the report details the violent seizure of the Archangel Michael Cathedral in Cherkasy on October 17, during which members of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine put several members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the hospital, including Metropolitan Theodosy. The UN report notes that the police largely stood idly by. (OrthoChristian)

British spies foiled two plots to kill Pope Francis in Iraq

British intelligence thwarted two terrorist plots to murder Pope Francis during his 2021 visit to Iraq, a recent book has revealed. Hope: The Autobiography, a book by Francis co-authored by Carlo Musso, was published in January.

Spies tipped off the Vatican’s security detail that a female suicide bomber had been dispatched to the northern Iraqi city of Mosul to coincide with the Pontiff’s historic visit to the city.

They learned, too, that terrorists also planned to propel a speeding truck loaded with explosives into the Vatican entourage with the aim of assassinating the Pope.

The Pope wrote: “The [Iraqi] police had alerted the Vatican Gendarmerie to a report from British intelligence: a woman packed with explosives, a young suicide bomber, was on her way to Mosul to blow herself up during the papal visit.

“And a van had also left at full speed with the same intent,” he wrote.

The day after the attempted plots were expected to take place, the Pope quizzed a security official about what had happened to the terrorists.

“The commander replied laconically: ‘They are no more,’” he wrote.

“The Iraqi police had intercepted them and blown them up…This too was the poisoned fruit of war.”

Mosul, a city with a large Christian minority, was overrun by Islamic State terrorists in 2014, driving tens of thousands of refugees to the sanctuary of Kurdish-controlled Iraqi territory. (CatholicHerald)

Patriarch of Jerusalem: The tool on human life and dignity on all sides has been catastrophic

At a critical historical moment for the Gaza region, the   Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem expressed its thoughts and concerns regarding the ceasefire that took effect on January 19.

The statement focuses on its profound sorrow for the unspeakable suffering endured by the people of Gaza over the preceding fifteen months. It underscores that humanitarian aid, rebuilding of infrastructure and restoration of trust are of paramount importance:

“The toll on human life and dignity on all sides, but especially in Gaza, has been catastrophic, with civilian infrastructure obliterated and communities torn asunder. We are reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul: ‘If one member suffers, all suffer together” (1 Corinthians 12:26). The suffering of Gaza is a wound not only to our communities there, but to the conscience of humanity. It demands a response grounded in justice, compassion, and the recognition that every human being is a bearer of the divine image.

“This ceasefire must serve as a bridge toward an enduring and just resolution, one that affirms the sanctity of life and the dignity of all God’s children. The international community, particularly those nations that champion a rules-based global order, must reflect on their responsibilities. The failure to resolve this conflict, or adequately to address its root causes, challenges the very principles upon which such an order is built.” (OrthodoxTimes)

Syrian leader meets Christian clerics; Pope sends envoy

The leader of the new Syrian administration, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, meets with representatives of the Christian faith at the People’s Palace in Damascus

Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa met senior Christian clerics on December 31, amid calls for Sharaa, head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), to guarantee minority rights after seizing power earlier in the month. Earlier in the day, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called for an inclusive political transition in Syria, expressing hope that “Syrians could take back control of their own destiny.”

But for this to happen, the country needs “a political transition in Syria that includes all communities in their diversity, that upholds the most basic rights and fundamental freedoms,” Barrot said during a visit to Lebanon.

Three weeks later, the Pope announced that he was sending papal envoy Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti to Syria for a January 24-29 visit, to demonstrate the Church’s unwavering commitment to Syrian Catholics and to unity among all Christians in the region.

On January 25, the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Cardinal Gugerotti presided over a Eucharistic celebration at the Memorial of Saint Paul in Damascus.

The Cardinal also venerated the relics of the Martyrs of Damascus, visiting both the Latin church and the Maronite cathedral in Bab Touma. (Zenit)

Temporary truce in Indian Church’s troubled Archdiocese

A temporary truce within the Eastern rite of the Catholic Syro-Malabar Church in India was reached on January 13.

Priests embroiled in a decades-old liturgy dispute on rubrics of the Mass were hoping for a settlement of the dispute at the Synod of Bishops, which was held from January 6 to 11.

On January 9, some 21 priests entered the archbishop’s house to press their demands, but were evicted by police after two days.

“The protest was called off after the new vicar, Archbishop Joseph Pamplany, agreed to consider our demands and hold a dialogue to resolve them,” said Father Kuriakose Mundadan, the presbytery council secretary of the troubled Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly.

The synod in 2021 told its 35 dioceses in India and abroad to adopt the synod-approved Mass for more uniformity in the Church.

All except Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese complied with the order after some initial protests.

The archdiocese’s warring priests and laity, however, continue to defy the synod decree. (UCANews)

Ukrainian Diocese appeals for help in restoring cathedral damaged by shelling

The Zaporozhye Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is asking for help to restore the Saint Andrew’s Cathedral in Zaporozhye that suffered serious damage over in a January attack.

The roof, dome, ceilings, windows, and classrooms at the church were damaged by shelling on Saturday morning, January 18, reports the Information-Education Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

At the same time, a large icon of Saint Andrew the First-Called, painted by nuns of the Saint Nicholas Convent in Patras, Greece, survived almost completely undamaged.

The icon also contains particles of the relics of Saint Andrew and particles of the cross he was crucified on. (OrthoChristian)