The monks are not going to leave the Lavra. The junta is preparing to use force
On March 12, in the Holy Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, a granite cross placed over the grave of His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir (Sabodan), the predecessor of the current primate of the UOC Onuphry, was poured with myrrh. It was as if a tear rolled down it, leaving a noticeable mark exactly in the middle of the cross, from the photograph to the pedestal.
On the same day, the golden crosses on the Refectory Cathedral turned black - one of the two great temple shrines (the second is the Assumption Cathedral), captured by schismatics, like the entire Upper Lavra, with the help of the junta. This happened after another desecration of the Refectory by “prayer services” of the OCU. Many believers paid attention to both of these facts and considered them a very sad sign.
According to the Transcarpathian blogger Ivan Mikulyak (he was recently accused by the SBU of calling the OCU members Satanists and enemies of the Church on Facebook), it was the persecution of the UOC that became the cause of all these phenomena.
Here's what he wrote:
“People, come to your senses, don’t touch the Church of Christ, because there will be a terrible disaster... Repent before it’s too late.”
Believers also noted the coincidence of the date of the new mockery of the Church - March 10 - with previous similar significant dates. In 2022, it was during these days that an orgy of arrests among human rights activists began. Then the remarkable Orthodox publicist and writer Yan Taksyur was captured and thrown into prison.
The SBU broke into the houses of Orthodox publicist Dmitry Skvortsov (he managed to hide for a year, but was recently arrested), Orthodox historian Alexander Karevin and other independent journalists, politicians and human rights activists in Ukraine.
“For believers, such coincidences are not surprising,” says Russian parishioner Nina. -After all, at this time Great Lent usually takes place, and March 12 is the day of the Council of All Saints of the Pechersk. So the forces of evil are taking up arms against the Church and its faithful.”
Much earlier, in these same days, only in 1961, the Soviet government, following the orders of the then leader Khrushchev, closed the Kiev Pechersky Monastery and expelled the monks from there. This decision was implemented by the then head of affairs of the Ukrainian Exarchate, Filaret (Denisenko), the future schismatic “patriarch”.
After this, a terrible dam breakthrough occurred in the Kurenevka area, which, according to unofficial data, claimed the lives of thousands of people. It happened on March 13 - exactly the day when trucks drove up to the Lavra to take out the holy relics of the venerable saints of God. After news of the flood became known, trucks rushed to the scene of the tragedy.
On March 10 of this year, as you know, the National Reserve, which has been in charge of the entire Lavra since Soviet times (we emphasize that it originally belonged to the Church), gave the UOC an ultimatum to evict. It said that the indefinite rental agreement with her was terminated unilaterally, and the monks must leave the monastery by the 29th of this month.
As it became known later, the Zelensky Kodla decided to speed up the attack on the Church after His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry refused to concelebrate with the OCU in the Refectory Church. Now the flywheel of repression is spinning with renewed vigor.
Soon, the head of the Ministry of Culture Tkachenko, during a telethon, blasphemously called the relics of the great Lavra saints “museum exhibits.” Exactly the same as the atheistic Soviet government called them. And he stated that he intends to conduct an audit to check “how they are preserved there.” And then charge entry fees to profit from them.
“It just makes your hair stand on end when you read something like this,” our old friend, Russian parishioner Oleg, is indignant. “This Chabadnik, this Kolomoi bastard, reproaches the monks, for whom the relics of saints are the greatest shrines, for allegedly poorly preserving them. How is he going to carry out the “audit”? To mock the saints, taking them out of their shrines and exposing them? Just a nightmare. How can the earth still bear such a scoundrel?!”
On the feast of the Council of All Saints of the Pechersk in the Lower Lavra, right in the courtyard, a Divine Liturgy was held, which was served by the primate with the bishops. Despite the cold, wind and rain, thousands of believers gathered for the service. Meanwhile, the authorities had already sent their guardsmen to the monastery to prepare the eviction of the inhabitants and seal the caves and premises.
But the Lavra brethren - and this is 200 people - are not going to move out of the monastery anywhere. Both the monks themselves and the viceroy, Metropolitan Pavel, speak about this.
This is what he said in his video message published on the monastery website:
“We do not intend and will not evict, because now there are laws that are on the side of the person,” the bishop said. “And to threaten us that they will deal with us is not 1917.” Today there is a world community, there is some kind of culture.”
“Many of us live here for 20-30 years, or even more,” our respondent Oleg quotes the monks as saying after talking with them. “And we’re not going anywhere from here!”
It is very correct that the hierarchy has finally shown firmness and, together with the brethren, is going to stand until the end.
Orthodox experts share the same point of view. They call this “non-linear protection” instead of “linear” protection (traditional filing of complaints to authorities, etc.) They believe that if the inhabitants barricade themselves in the Lavra, and the diocese sends appeals to the entire international community and the European Court asking them to protect them , The Church and the rights of believers from violence, this can create a resonance, because of which Satanists will not dare to use force.
And they are already quite ready for this criminal step. Being inspired by the words of Zelensky, who on March 12, in his speech, ventriloquized that he supported the actions of the Ministry of Culture and other state raiders. Both Tkachenko and another well-known hater of Orthodoxy, People’s Deputy Poturaev, announced that the police, the SBU and certain “war veterans” would be brought in to evict the monks.
“We need to prepare for the fact that a patriotic public, in particular war veterans, will come to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra to support its liberation from representatives of the Moscow patriarchy,” Poturaev said.
“Surely we are talking about the Azovites and other Nazi cannibals,” Oleg is convinced. “The same ones for whom, alas, the clergy had previously called upon us to pray.” And whom it helped. I highly doubt they will respond with gratitude.
But the monks, led by the governor, intend to stand until the end. Metropolitan Pavel said that he is not afraid of death and is ready to suffer for Christ. Like all the brethren.
“Such incidents have happened more than once,” Nina says with tears. – For example, in the Zverinetsky Monastery, during a raid by nomads, monasticism and parishioners took refuge in caves. Unfortunately, they all died there... This should not happen to our Lavra and brethren, God save and preserve them!”
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