Montenegrin priest: UOC today is the most persecuted Church in the world
According to Fr. Slobodan Zeković, it is especially painful for Orthodox believers to hear about the situation surrounding one of the greatest Orthodox shrines in the whole world – the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
The rector of the Cathedral Church of St. John Vladimir in Bar and archpriest-stavrophore, archpastoral vicar of Bar, Fr. Slobodan Zeković, spoke about the situation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, reports the Serbian edition of the UOJ.
“With great pain and sorrow we follow all the events in Ukraine. The military conflicts that have lasted for more than ten years have brought suffering to millions of people. Particularly grievous is the conflict between Orthodox brothers, spiritually born from one of the baptismal fonts of St. Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles, in Kyiv. We pray to the Lord for a speedy end to the war and to human suffering,” said the priest.
He also drew attention to the “cruel persecutions against the clergy, monastics, and faithful of the canonical UOC.”
“Churches and monasteries are being seized and desecrated, bishops and priests are being persecuted and arrested,” Fr. Slobodan stated.
According to him, it is especially distressing for Orthodox Christians to hear that one of the greatest Orthodox sanctuaries in the world – the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra – has been taken from the Church; that schismatics now “serve” in its churches; that the caves with the relics of the venerable fathers of the Lavra are closed; and that there is a real danger of desecration of the holy relics.
“The UOC today is the most persecuted Church in the world,” concluded the Montenegrin clergyman.
At the same time, Fr. Slobodan emphasized that the faith of Metropolitan Onuphry strengthens not only the flock in Ukraine, but also Orthodox believers in other countries:
“The faith, courage, patience, and love of Metropolitan Onuphry strengthen us all and confirm us in the conviction that the UOC will emerge victorious from these sufferings and persecutions, which it has endured for many years – to the glory of God, and to the joy and salvation of the faithful people.”
As the UOJ previously reported, the Montenegrin priest earlier stated that the events in the Lavra resemble the crimes of the Bolsheviks.
