Local Greek Orthodox priest speaks on Russia and Ukraine

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church is the only orthodox church on the Mississippi Gulf Coast that reflects many nationalities such as Greek, Russian, and Ukrainian.

With the war going on in Ukraine, News 25’s Janae Jordan spoke with Father Paisius McGrath on the invasion.

For centuries, Russia and Ukraine have been battling with one another for various reasons, but the recent conflict has led to war. “The recent conflict, the invasion we are seeing now, is a direct result of many of the Russian elites in both the Russian church and Russian government being unable to accept that Ukraine, which was once a Soviet republic, is now an independent sovereign nation, which is a democracy.”

Father Paisius McGrath is a part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA and was assigned as pastor of Holy Trinity in Biloxi in 2020. Father McGrath says he has spoken to fellow priests who have family in Ukraine. “My former bishop in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA is from Ukraine and it is not very good because basically the Russians are making clear that they want to overthrow the government and turn Ukraine into a satellite state of Russia.”

Not only does the government play a major role in this attack, so does the church because Russians and Ukrainians are both part of the orthodox church. “In 2018, the Patriarch Aid of Constantinople, the Patriarch Bartholomew, granted Autocephaly, freedom and independence, to a large group of Ukrainian orthodox that are not under, the rest are under the Moscow Patriarch.”

Father McGrath says his church will continue to pray for those suffering. “Our message to the people of Ukraine is to stay strong and continue to defend yourself and know that across the world and here in the United States, even in Mississippi, there are many people, both orthodox Christians and other Americans, who are supporting you.”