Saint Saint Varus

Saint Varus (Greek: Οὔαρος; died c. 304) was an early Christian saint, soldier and martyr. According to his generally reliable and authentic Acts, he was a soldier stationed in Upper Egypt who had the task of guarding a group of 7 monks awaiting execution. It is stated that Varus was already a Christian at this point, but had weak faith. After witnessing one of the monks perish, the faith of Varus became reinvigorated, and he joined the monks. For this, Varus was tortured, and had his body hung from a tree. St. Varus is commemorated on 19 October in the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, and 15 Paopi in the Coptic Orthodox Church. He became widely venerated in Russia as a martyr and intercessor, particularly through stories involving Blessed Cleopatra and her son. Some sources claim that St. Varus intercedes for the unbaptized, based on a story in which he allegedly prays for the souls of Cleopatra's relatives. They cite the “Canon to the Martyr Varus, patron of those who die outside the Church”. However, historical and liturgical evidence shows that this canon is not part of the traditional Orthodox Church: The canon did not exist in any Orthodox Menaion until Metropolitan Nikodim Rotov added it in the 1960s or 1970s. Rotov was a known ecumenist, a president of the World Council of Churches, and “collapsed and died at the Vatican during the inauguration of John Paul I.” The canon was compiled by priestless Old Believers. It has only officially been added to any Orthodox Menaion in the Moscow Patriarchate, and has been removed from print as of 2019. In the original lives of St. Varus and Blessed Cleopatra, there is no mention of unbaptized salvation. In one vision, Varus appears to Cleopatra holding her deceased son, saying, “If you wish, I will give him back to you!” But her son told her that he was very happy there and did not want to return.