“His Beatitude’s steadfastness was not stubbornness but faithfulness to Christ.

“No matter how hard enemies and ‘friends’ may try, I am convinced there is a line His Beatitude Onuphry will never cross. He will not buy temporary peace at the price of departing from the canonical order of the Church, nor will he call something ‘the salvation of the Church’ if it destroys its unity. This is not stubbornness. It is faithfulness to Christ and the responsibility of a Primate before God for the Church entrusted to him

“It is impossible to preserve unity, purity, and freedom of conscience by retreating from the Truth

“the UOC continues to live and carry out its ministry despite the pressure

“Over this time, even his opponents have become convinced that he acts not out of calculation, but out of heartfelt prayer

“no one but His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry could have steered the ship of the Church through such a difficult period

“on August 17, 2014, no one could have known what trials awaited the Primate. Among them, he named the war, open and severe persecution of the Church, seized churches, and legal prosecution of bishops and priests

“over 12 years of ministry, the Primate has had to endure war, persecution of the Church, the seizure of churches, and the prosecution of clergy