An open letter of Pochaev Metropolitan Vladimir, vicar of the Pochaev Lavra of the Dormition

Dear brothers and sisters!

At present the Ukrainian nation is going through a very complicated period in its history. In our own state people continue to perish, children are left orphans, a great deal of our fellow citizens are dishoused. Blood is still being shed in the East of Ukraine.

However, there is a growing impression somebody needs turmoil and fraternal strife on religious grounds also in the central and western regions of our longsuffering native land.

It’s a well-known fact that military actions motivated by the political ideology could be terminated by means of negotiations and certain compromise. However, when there is a fraternal fight due to religious convictions, it’s extremely difficult to put a stop to such animosity. It can outlive more than one generation and get for ever rooted in the people’s memory. To date, in view of the developments it the Middle East and recalling the events which took place in Serbia and Kosovo not a long time ago, we can say confidently – there is nothing more horrible than the religious or interdenominational war!

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has repeatedly called for peace and integrity of our country. We wish peace and prosperity to every citizen of Ukraine and worldwide. Never ever has a single representative of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church come to a sanctuary of different denomination to illegally seize it. We know clearly that according to Saint John Chrysostom, “one has to convince with the power of words rather than the power of arms”.

Consequently, odd and incomprehensible for us are actions resorted to by particular representatives of some religious denominations who tend to behave even more aggressively towards our Church. Naming themselves Christians, they nevertheless aren’t ashamed of ransacking and seizing what does not belong to them. Moreover, they use force towards the UOC faithful, disseminate lies and slander. Obviously, it has nothing to do with Jesus Christ for “devil is the liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44)

Whereas there used to be random cases of church seizure in the past, now there has been encroached the greatest sanctuary of our nation – Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Some people have even initiated sign-in to take the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra away from the canonic Church and let it under the jurisdiction of those in schism.

I’d like to underscore once again that similar “initiatives” constitute a provocation with a view to stirring up interdenominational clashes. Such scenarios have always brought about deplorable consequences.

On the other hand, transfer of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra – a spiritual cradle of Orthodox monasticism in Kievan Rus –– to the dissenters means its isolation from the world Orthodoxy. It’s a well known fact that none of the Orthodox Churches in the world recognizes the so-called “Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate”, i.e. its canonicity and divine gracefulness is not recognized.

All this would mean that the people behind these “sign-ups” intend to drop the country out of the civilized world, to make it so that representatives of other Orthodox Churches would no longer arrive in Ukraine, and our country would be notorious as antichristian. A truly patriotic mind would never act like that!

Let’s recall that Saint Prince Vladimir Equal-to-the-Apostles opted for the Orthodox religion in order to have a young Kievan state integrate into the community of European nations. He proceeded from the Orthodoxy having universal character, celestial origin and Divine Truth. The Prince wanted to bridge a gap between the Ancient Kievan Rus and the rest of the world, to make it no longer marginal and savage. Namely for this reason he made a momentous decision in favor of the religion that united his state with other developed states of the world.

Hence, those who currently demand to transfer Kiev-Pechersk Lavra to dissenters, want to make Ukraine come back to internecine wars, pull it out of the Orthodox Church community, and U-turn it into a savage and uncivilized country. To pursue this goal is to defy their own history, to disregard their state and its citizens.

Therefore, I appeal to all of you, dear brothers and sisters, to enhance praying so that God could prevent this lawlessness. Besides, I address my appeal for the statesmen, who take care of their country, to halt any provocations directed at stepping up violence and animosity in our society.

May God bless each of us!

+Vladimir, Pochaev Metropolitan vicar of the Pochaev Lavra of the Dormition