Ukraine War Day #404: Untalented Dancing Demons Of The Schism

Dear Readers:

Wow! Those demons of yore really knew how to hoof it. Not like today’s untalented dancing demons of the Ukrainian Schism.

Yeah, today I am back on the Religion beat, as matters look ever more worrisome at the Kiev Lavra. By the way, I realize that’s a bit early for Walpurgis Night, which is traditionally celebrated on the night of April 30 – May 1. And named after a Catholic Saint Walpurga and not a witch, although the feast day has come to be associated with witches. And dancing.

My starting point is this story by reporter Yury Zanaishev, the headline reads:

Zelensky Organizes Demonic Dances On the Orthodox Holy Of Holies

The dances in question are some amateurish street performances by a small group of Nazis who were sent to the Lavra to taunt worshippers. The latter, holding a sort of sit-down at the gates, are attempting to block, with their own bodies, government storm-troopers seeking to forcibly remove monks of the UOC. If this sounds a bit “Life of Brian”-ish, one must clarify the names of the 2 factions: The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) are the ones whose priests report to the Moscow Patriarch; and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) are the so-called Schismatics, who report to Zelensky (and Constantinople). In previous posts I have referred to them as “Canonical” and “Schismatic”, but I think I will just adopt the UOC/OCU terminology, confusing as it is; and I sincerely hope I got it right, and not the other way other!

Yekaterina Yershova

Anyhow, a young woman named Yekaterina Yershova has become the face of the resistance, and the object of scorn, of the dancing Nazis. Although Katya has not been physically attacked (yet), the video stream is worrisome, as it shows some provocateurs working up their courage to get right up in her face. One is concerned that her comrades left this frail young woman alone on the picket line, even for a moment.

Russian investigative Reporters discovered that Yershova is a member of the Church Choir at the Lavra. She is literally a choir-girl. Who has won the hearts of the Russian people by kneeling in the middle of the road blocking Ukrainian police while Nazi hooligans taunt her with their clumsy dances and recorded disco music, such as the song “Ukraine Army blow the Moskal to bits”. This is very far, indeed, from anything that the genius Gounod would recognize as demonic artistry. Might as well unleash howling cats or dancing lemurs against Katya. According to journalist Roman Golovanov, Katya is a “poetess and bard”, in addition to being a talented singer and guitar player.

As was reported in an earlier post, the Nazi demons have been emboldened by Mikhail Podolyak’s calls for violence. Recall that Podolyak incited Ukrainians to “physically purge” everything Russian, including the Canonical Orthodox priesthood; and to “cut out” everything Russian like a rotting abscess. Misha is a big cheese in the Ukrainian government, a top member of Zelensky’s camarilla. Therefore, his pronouncements may give the mob the idea that it’s okay to transform Walpurgisnacht into St. Bartholomew’s Night, right in front of the cathedral.

Painting by François Dubois, a Huguenot painter who fled France after the massacre.

Meanwhile, the Abbot of the Lavra, Metropolitan Pavel (=Petr Lebed), has been arrested and sentenced to two months house arrest while wearing an ankle bracelet. I am not sure whether the Ukrainian judges actually thought this through; because “house” to Pavel consists of his living quarters within the monastery itself. Which stands in contradiction with their demand that all the UOC monks evacuate the complex. Pavel retorted, in his own defense against the charges (“inciting religious differences” and “justifying Russian aggression”): “I have done nothing wrong. I know that this whole thing is politically motivated, because they threatened me before. I also know who is behind this, but I am not going to say right now. That’s not my style.”

Now, in terms of the pro-Pavel demonstrators: Reporters say there are a lot of them, hundreds of them, not just Katya Yershova. The demonstrators have set up a human chain and block entry to members of the “Inventory Commission” of the Ministry of Culture. The latter, it goes without saying, intend to inventory all the wealth and assets of the Lavra, all the better to sell them to private collections and fatten their own wallets protect these goodies from the Muscovite hordes.

The people who have come to block these government Requisitioners include all types: young and old, some even bringing their children. [yalensis: Parents, I am begging you: find a babysitter and leave your kids at home…]

When the confrontations began on Friday between demonstrators and chanting Nazis, some UOC priests appeared to lose their Christ-like patience, so they up and doused the Nazis with Holy Water from the font. The Nazis responded by dousing Archimandrite Fyodor with a bottle of (non-holy) water. And then tried to beat him with a stick. This is when the police intervened. It was towards Friday evening when the bully-boys arrived, the so-called “sportive youth”; and this is when the real Walpurgisnacht began.

Alexander Tkachenko: “Monks keep thwarting me!”

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Minister of Culture, Alexander Tkachenko, complains that his people are not allowed in to just do their job. The damn monks thwart them every time: “Upon repeated attempts to inspect one of the facilities, the Commission was not able to get into the building, because it was locked. When we insisted, the representatives of the monastery brought the keys; but the keys didn’t fit the locks.” He promises to return on April 3 [which is today!]

The deadline, by the way, was March 29. That was the day by which all the UOC monks were supposed to have been cleaned out, and the Lavra handed over to the “Stambul” crowd, i.e., the followers of Patriarch Bartholomew in Constantinople. The UOC monks have shown some cunning in their resistance, but, realistically, this is not going to end well for them. Unless they can hold out until the end of the war, which seems unlikely. Theology Professor Vladislav Petrushko is clearly worried: “After Podolyak’s declarations, the threat of physical violence against the priesthood, has risen sharply. Already, on Telegram [social-media] channels there are calls to beat up any defenders of the monastery, who happen to be alone at the time. [yalensis: Like I said, the demonstrators must never leave anyone alone on the picket line.]

“We see troubled times ahead. And not only in Kiev. We shouldn’t forget that there is another monastery at issue, the Pochaev Monastery in Ternopol, the Schimastics also have their eyes on that one. And it’s in the Western part of Ukraine, where the attitude [towards the Canonical Church] is even more hostile.”

A History Of Schisms

Petrushev continues: “In Western Ukraine there are quite a lot of Uniates and other Schismatics. And they all affirm their rights over the Pochaev Monastery. But it’s going to be even harder over there for them to get rid of the Canonical brotherhood. Those guys have a history of really sticking up for themselves. They didn’t even bend when Khrushchev tried to liquidate their monastery in 1961. I think they will offer resistance, and this may really infuriate those who want to take it away from them.”

A scene from Gogol’s spooky Ukrainian Christmas Eve story

The Zanaishev article ends with a brief history lesson from Archpriest Andrei Novikov, Pastor of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Moscow, on Sparrow Hills:

“This societal split has haunted Ukraine during all the years of its existence. I myself participated in that split, when I served there. I never accepted the state ideology, upon which is founded the very existence of the Ukrainian state. Nor did, by the way, half of the population living there. This split worsened in 2014. Now it is not just a split, it is simply the annihilation of a portion of the population. That portion which disagrees with the politics of the government, and simply with the caprices of Mr. Zelensky, his clique, and the State Department of the U.S.”

Before April of 2014, Father Andrei served as Secretary of the Odessa Eparchy, but was forced to flee from Ukraine with the blessing of his church leadership: The SBU had called him in for a “questioning” regarding his ties with the leaders of the anti-Maidan.

Andrei concludes with a pessimistic prognosis: “I think that any attempts to express open dissatisfaction will be squelched. Everybody needs to listen very carefully to the words of Mikhail Podolyak. This is a message to you from the government of the Ukraine. And we have not heard a peep of reproval out of anyone among Ukraine’s Western allies. Which means, that Kiev has received carte blanche.”

Instant Karma?

In conclusion, the prognosis is very grim for the UOC. Realistically, however cunning their tactics, the priests cannot hold out against the power of the Ukrainian state, with its army and goon squads. Only a truly divine miracle can save them, and cynics like me know that miracles never actually happen…

Which brings me to this final story by reporter Anton Antonov. I translate the lead paragraph in full:

One of the opponents of the Canonical UOC who had danced in the streets while mocking the choir-girl Yekaterina Yershova, had to be rushed to the hospital right after his dance. The UOC, relying on eye witnesses, reported that the man gave no signs of life or had a pulse. But they wish him all the best: “May the Almighty God offer this man forgiveness and healing,” they wrote on their Telegram channel.