"Punishment for Putin is inevitable" - Mother Seraphima Shevchyk

Before the full-scale war, the abbess of the Odesa Holy Archangel Michael Monastery of the UOC (MP), Seraphima ( Nadezhda Shevchyk ), ranked third in the list of the most influential women of the Russian Orthodox Church, was a member of the Party of Regions, and took Ukrainian children to see the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill Gundyaev. Now she expresses a patriotic position and seems to have "changed her shoes." But is it really that simple? Intent talked to the mother about how she switched to Ukrainian, but is against language coercion, why they don't trust chaplaincy to UOC priests, how the Odesa diocese is being checked for ties to Russia, and why Ukraine may go wrong.

Mother Seraphima, how did your views on the Russian Federation evolve after the outbreak of a full-scale war?

It started in 2014, when Russia attacked Crimea. My indignation knew no bounds, because I love Crimea very much. I was there and was treated there. It is the pearl of Ukraine, it is access to the sea. We in Odesa love the sea and it was painful for us. Now I can't watch anything at all - neither Russian programs nor Russian films. Maybe it's too much, but I feel only bitterness, only a sense of boundless indignation and anger.

Screen shot from Serafima Shevchyk's Facebook page

You have been accused of bringing Ukrainian children to Russian Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev in Moscow after the occupation of Crimea and Russia's invasion of Donbas. Tell us about this.

There was such a period, because I was born in Russia. My father is Russian. I lived there for the first ten years of my life. And they are very important for formation.

I sincerely believed that Russia could be changed. And, to be honest, I was afraid that there might be a war. By doing so, I wanted to prevent it. It was such a childish wish. Unfortunately, the worst case scenario happened, which no one expected. But, apparently, everyone felt something. They saw that this aggression, this chauvinism, which was growing year after year, could lead to just such a scenario.

Photo: Religious Information Service of Ukraine

Now the law provides for a ban on the activities of religious organizations associated with Russia in Ukraine. Have inspections already begun in the Odesa Eparchy?

This infamous law is now in effect. Inspections have begun in the Kyiv metropolis, but not yet anywhere else. We are waiting to see what will happen, but we are calm because we have no evidence of affiliation with the Russian Orthodox Church. If they look for it, they won't find it.

What is your attitude to the dismantling of the memorial plaque in the monastery dedicated to the fallen sailors of the Russian submarine Kursk?

When the representatives of the decolonization structure sent us a letter, the monument had already been dismantled.

It was laid in the early 2000s, when the Kursk was lost, because our countrymen were there. There were two sailors, ordinary sailors from Odesa region. They didn't get a burial, neither human nor Christian, they died a terrible death because, as Putin said, "she sank." The fathers and mothers of these sailors came here.

This monument was erected by the Association of Submariners. They took a blessing on the mountain, from our hierarchy. We did not object. But now, when the Russian aggression began, we removed this monument.

Photo: Decolonization. Ukraine

Were the priests who serve at the monastery mobilized?

We had one case when they wanted to take our young priest, Father Vitaliy Zharykov, to the front, but it turned out that he was not subject to mobilization because he is a teacher.

There was just a misunderstanding, and when we found all the documents and presented them, everything was resolved without any problems.

Priest Vitaliy Zharykov. Photo: Facebook

Why do you think military chaplains do not employ priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (MP)?

They do not trust our priests. We treat this calmly, as we do all the hot-button issues related to the UOC. We understand the nature of this rejection and sometimes aggressive behavior toward us. We would like to see this change a little bit, but knowing where it came from, we are calmly enduring it all.

The Russian Orthodox Church used to behave normally. But I was horrified when I heard Patriarch Kirill call the war against us a holy war. There is not a single person who would react to this calmly.

So all this will pass, respect and authority will return. We help the Armed Forces a lot. We are patriots, we are fervent patriots of Ukraine. But we take the obstruction calmly. We do not dramatize it.

Tell us in more detail how the convention helps the Armed Forces of Ukraine?

We help our 28th Airmobile Brigade and some other units. I would not like to talk about it. But there is evidence that this is the case, because we have a lot of chevrons and flags from the guys.

We do not advertise what we are helping with. No, not with weapons. We have no right to do that as believers.

But the guys have so many other problems. We make trench candles, send warm clothes. At Easter we bake Easter cakes. This year we baked 20 thousand, the same as last year. Believe me, this is a very big figure. We employed everyone who could. For Christmas, we send kalachas, other food, household items, even such things as chainsaws, generators and so on. There are enough problems.

We donate blood for the soldiers. I have done it many times.

Photo: Facebook of Serafima Shevchyk

There is information that the UOC (MP) does not always condemn the actions of the Russian Orthodox Church in the occupied territories. Why does this happen?

I would not like to comment on something that does not concern my direct responsibilities for ethical reasons. I know of many cases when representatives of our episcopate condemn it both on social media and in messages.

At the same time, there is a delicate part of the work. Our patriarch received Russian prisoners of war. Many people took it very negatively. I want to remind you that contacts with Russian prisoners of war are conducted only through one structure. This is the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. These guys didn't get to the Blessed One on their own, did they? As far as I know, many captured Russians are joining the ranks of the units fighting against Putin. We have formed a number of such structures. I don't want to comment further.

How do you feel about the priests who did not disdain to help the terrorists in the East?

I have a negative attitude, of course. Knowing the order in Russia, I can say that a Russian executioner, in my opinion, is even worse than a fascist. Because the Nazis were very punctual, they followed orders. As for the Russian executioner, these are people who do not control their emotions. And all their negativity against us, which is enormous now, because they are losing, they take it out on those they captured.

There are such tortures, such terrible things happening there. It is a horror. People say they are Orthodox. If they were Orthodox, they would have a fuse that would not allow them to abuse defenseless prisoners. By prisoners, I mean not only prisoners of war, but also those whom they occupied and made their slaves. And so there is a question of life and death. And about terrible suffering.

People are afraid of them. I know we have students, we have many refugees in the monastery from Donetsk, Luhansk, and other occupied lands. They told me what was happening there during the seizure. Everything was destroyed there. People could be shot just because they didn't like the way they looked.

In 2010, you were elected to the Odesa City Council from the Party of Regions. Why did you need this?

It was probably necessary for me to feel what it was like. It was either a blessing from God or a blessing. Probably the latter, because during my term I saw how the community works, how it breathes, what it needs.

And I will tell you frankly that I managed to save several cultural objects then. Because I headed the permanent parliamentary commission on culture, spirituality, and interaction with public organizations.

I don't want to tell anyone, but there were cases when rich local princes threatened to kill those cultural figures who did not agree to give them very tasty pieces of real estate.

At the same time, there were cases when the church defended its position. I don't know whether it was a negative or positive experience, but the church, through its participation in the work of local governments, tried to influence the protection of its shrines. I believe that such an active, perhaps a little unusual position of the church shows that we are not children to be beaten.

Now we cannot go to local governments, the synod has forbidden us, but we have experience of such work.

Photo: Dumska

How do you see the place of your church in the future?

War always exacerbates religious issues. Now there is a lot of negativity, there are cases of sharp confrontations at the church gate. In different parishes, there are cases when literally fights take place. But we, Ukrainians, are like that. In order to understand something, we need to be burned first. I'm sure this will pass. There is no other alternative but unity. We must not live in hatred. Especially not religious hatred. This is a big mistake.

How did you switch to the Ukrainian language?

I came from Russia when I was ten years old. I didn't know any Ukrainian - I went to a Russian school. But I just fell in love with the Ukrainian language, fell in love with Lesya Ukrainka. By the way, at first I read her in a Russian translation. And she impressed me. This love led me to start studying literature. And I especially liked the live communication with native Ukrainian speakers.

In our village, where we moved to my mother's homeland, there were many old people who told us about the Holodomor. I was amazed, because we didn't know this at all. And these old people, who had lived a very bright, dramatic life, were so strong, so unpretentious. They were so simple, but at the same time so positive, that I remember it well enough to bow down to them.

I remember these conversations, of course, in Ukrainian, and that's it, I just fell in love with her. You need to get a person interested so that they fall in love with the language. Coercion will not lead to anything.

On the contrary. This Sovietism, Bolshevism, political expediency, all these narratives of the past haunt us. We are a democratic European country, a free people, a free community. Is it possible to force a Ukrainian to fulfill some orders at gunpoint? No, never. Those who understand this will be able to help us build the right future.

You have a rich library. What Ukrainian books do you read?

I read books in different languages - Ukrainian and Russian. For example, there is an interesting historian named Kostomarov, a friend of Shevchenko.

I am currently obsessed with historical works. I want to see what will happen. The longer your memory line, the faster you find answers to questions. Everything has already happened. And everything will be repeated in the same way.

Because when thieves tried to establish their own order, at first they won, unfortunately, just like Hitler's Germany. But then normal decent people rallied, rose up and overcame this terrible situation.

Similarly, we see now that the international community is not abandoning Ukraine. They realize that they are next. Ukraine is the frontier where evil will stop.

Photo: Intent

How do you see the war in Ukraine ending?

The same way it was in Kuwait. One to one. The dictator attacked defenseless Kuwait and thought he could get away with it. No, the entire international community united, slapped him on the wrist, and defended democracy.

By the way, this year marks the anniversary of the Helsinki Accords. When all countries, including the Soviet Union, signed a commitment to abide by international agreements - not to violate each other's borders and the norms of democracy. And these Helsinki Accords are still alive and well. Dictators are trying to break them, but they will not be allowed to, the world will not allow them.

Punishment for Putin is inevitable. All criminals get what they deserve. Either through The Hague or otherwise. Because blood is crying out to the sky. A terrible punishment will come to them.

I used to be a nun in the Intercession Monastery, and we had holy people who had survived the terrible Soviet repressions. And one foolish man said that Russia would be the size of the Vladimir principality. I thought, what is he talking about? And now I remember his words more and more often. A person will answer for every sin. And this country, which has committed an inhuman crime, will get its due, believe me.

What is your personal prayer about?

I pray for the victory of Ukraine, because the truth is on our side. We didn't attack anyone, we lived peacefully, calmly, and we were surprised by them.

I traveled and saw what was happening there. The dictatorship was taking on more and more terrible, ugly forms. For me, any violation of the law, any authoritarian regime, any negative attitude towards our Constitution is a very frightening moment.

Believe me, the temptation of power is so strong that there is even a risk that Ukraine could become like Russia. In relation to a person, to an ordinary person.

When the state begins to dictate which church to go to and which language to pray in, it will be like what happened in the Soviet Union. I went through it. I was born into a religious family, and throughout my childhood and adolescence I hid my religious beliefs. But this did not make them go away, but strengthened them.

Any coercion or aggression only strengthens people's beliefs. And we remember how in the Soviet Union we used to speak quietly in our kitchens. But the critical mass of such negativity was increasing. And then it came out of the kitchens and onto the streets. And the Soviet Union collapsed. Russia will collapse in the same way. What they are doing, giving 15 years with confiscation just for some picket, where there were no words even about the war, is simply out of line.

But if Ukraine goes down the path of authoritarianism and violation of democratic norms, including in relation to believers whose fathers, sons, and daughters are at war (I have already performed funeral services for several girls), what will it be? People perceive this as injustice. Why? Ukraine is a mother to all of us. It should be like that - understanding and intelligent. Those who shed their blood at the front shed it so that Ukraine would never be Russia.

With this material, Intent begins a series of video conversations with clergymen from southern Ukraine. The goal of this series is to show as broad and complete a picture of religious life as possible. Before Abbess Seraphima, we have already visited Father Oleksandr Smerechynskyi. Our next interviewee is Archbishop Athanasius.

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