Metropolitan Pavel (Lebed) of Chernobyl, Viceroy of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, in a video message on the YouTube channel “Lavra. The Way of Salvation” stated that the monks from the Lavra would not leave, and no one would force them to leave the shrine.
“We will not be evicted from the Lavra, there are laws that are on the side of a person, and we are citizens of our country. I have been the governor of the greatest shrine for 29 years and have done everything and am doing everything to preserve the shrine, therefore we do not intend and will not be evicted, no one will force us, there is no reason for eviction,” he said.
The Metropolitan spoke about the provocations that occur every day and come from people who have nothing to do with faith.
“There are provocations on the part of officials, they issue decrees, people come who have no idea about God, history. I talked with one, he does not know either the “Our Father” or the “Symbol of Faith”, as he began to fence, God forgive me. Therefore, amazing things are happening in our country today – when billions are stolen and lawlessness is committed, the police do not respond, but here the monks pray, the police are on duty around the perimeter of the Lavra around the clock, they love the monks so much,” the viceroy noted.
The bishop reported the state in which he received the Lavra 29 years ago.
“There were no icons in the Refectory Church, there was no Assumption Cathedral at all. There was nothing in the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, only walls; in the Church of the Conception of the Righteous Anna there was a theater. In Krestovozdvizhensky, the iconostasis was broken, and a pit was dug in the place of the throne. There was no temple of All Who Sorrow Joy, Sergius of Radonezh, Agapit of the Caves,” he said.
The viceroy also spoke about attempts to reach the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and the Minister of Culture Oleksandr Tkachenko.
“I called the head of the Presidential Administration Andriy Yermak three times, wrote SMS, he did not answer, I dialed the Minister of Culture two or three times, he told people that he saw my call, but he also did not answer, I spoke three times with the director of the museum, he agreed to meet, but never showed up. These people are far from statehood, culture and faith. I am horrified by the future of my country. If we started to adapt to every president, it would be a society of mentally ill people,” added the Lavra’s vicegerent.
Addressing the faithful, the bishop urged them to come to the defense of the Lavra and, most importantly, to pray.
“I urge you to come to the defense of the Lavra, because here you will hear a call to repentance. Repent, ask for forgiveness, pray for the authorities that act unfairly, but we must ask God for mercy on them, because they were chosen. Read the Gospel, the Psalter, the akathists to the Monks of Kiev-Pechersk, especially these days, to the Dormition of the Mother of God, the icon of the Mother of God “Pecherskaya”, Saints Spyridon Trimifuntsky, Nicholas the Wonderworker, the Mother of God, the Savior. And most importantly, come to work. I once told my friends: “Pray in the Lavra while the Lavra is open,” he said.
“Now the enemy of the human race has risen against Christ. You hear what the UN is saying, the pope, but the pope has to order his children, the Greek Catholics, not to do what they are doing. You can’t intrigue and say that our center is in Moscow. We have a center in heaven where Christ is. Let’s give our hearts to God, and then there will be no war. I call to prayer. Whether you are a supporter of the OCU, a Muslim or a Jew, what should we share? Earth? We won’t take her, but we’ll go there. God? He is in our heart. There is only one advocate in Heaven – this is Christ, and the one who does His will and lives according to the Gospel will win,” Metropolitan Pavel stressed.
