Community of Borispol Eparchy does penance and returns to UOC from OCU

Priest Nikolai Brega and the parishioners of his church, who had previously backslid into schism, performed repentance to the Church. Photo: Borispol Eparchy

On July 8, 2019, Archpriest Nikolai Brega and parishioners of the Holy Dormition community in the village of Morozovka, Baryshevka District, Kiev Region, met with the Chancellor of the UOC, Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) of Borispol and Brovary, to repent and return to the bosom of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The video of the meeting was published on the YouTube channel of Metropolitan Anthony.

The head of the community, previously banned from priesthood for backsliding into schism, stressed in his address that he and his parishioners repent before the Church and personally before His Eminence Anthony.

“I ask you to take me back as a prodigal son who failed to prove, withstand, endure the trials that befell our Morozovka community when you believed me, and request you to take us back to the true canonical Church,” said the priest.

In his response, Metropolitan Anthony noted that God would forgive both the rector himself and his parishioners.

“The main thing in the Christian life is for us to understand that the sin of schism ruins the man himself; the sin of schism is a sin against the Church. Unfortunately, this temptation, this misfortune that befell Ukraine – Christ’s sacrifice replaced by political substitute – is a sin when a person, betraying his Church, enters the road of Judah.

But the most important thing is that there is always away for a Christian to return. If there is an awareness of one’s iniquity, then the Lord and the Holy Church are always waiting for a person in the unfolded arms of the Heavenly Father,” said Metropolitan Anthony.

We will remind that earlier, Metropolitan Alexander (Drabinko) published documents, according to which he “blessed” to enroll in the OCU a parish in honor of the Holy Dormition of the Theotokos in the village of Morozovka. To substantiate this act, the ex-Metropolitan published on his Facebook page a petition from the rector, Archpriest Nikolai Breqa, written on behalf of the latter. Upon that, the signature of Fr. Nikolai on the published document was missing, while the rector himself said on the Net that he did not write anything of the sort.

Read also