Alexander Drabinko answered the question of what will happen next with the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. He is sure that the authorities will organize a negotiation process between representatives of the UOC and the OCU. The “hierarch” said this in an interview for NovostiLIVE.
“I hope that this issue will be resolved peacefully, and since conflict situations have arisen, they pose a threat to our general church communication. I think that the relevant competent structures will still put representatives of the two structures at the negotiating table that are interested in this issue and will come to a common denominator,” Drabinko said.
When asked about the strategy of the OCU in relation to the Lavra, he noted that he had lived in the Lavra for 16 years, and he was offended by the situation that is now happening in the Lavra.
“I am very sorry that the process is taking place in the same way as it is happening. Because it should have been solved in a completely different way. The path is very simple. It was necessary to localize Bishop Pavel, as a vicar, a long time ago. His late Metropolitan Vladimir in the 12th year actually transferred him to the Chernihiv cathedra, since already by that time there were conflict situations in which he was involved. Be that as it may, you know that the fish deteriorates from what? From the head. It is worth pulling back your head, and then you can build other normal relations, ”said the “metropolitan”.
He also believes that the UOC should have declared autocephaly and, thus, the pro-Russian monks and clergy themselves would have left the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.
“And, of course, it was necessary to resolve this issue by declaring again autocephaly. Autocephaly would be proclaimed, the brethren, who are absolutely pro-Russian and would be dissatisfied with the general church policy, they would leave the Lavra, looking for more comfortable pro-Russian nests, and the rest of the brethren would remain in their places and simply lead a normal church life in the Ukrainian Lavra with the Ukrainian people and praying for the victory of the Ukrainian army,” said the bishop of the OCU.
According to him, there are also very patriotic monks in the Lavra, but there are also those who “kept the tricolor and portraits of the Tsar and Putin in their cell to the last.” “That is, it is necessary to approach this issue in a differentiated way, and not in general for everyone,” Drabinko summed up, adding that he would wait for the results from the commission initiated by the National Security and Defense Council.
