The government’s actions against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has crossed all limits and threatened to disturb the religious peace in the country. This is stated in the appeal of the monks Pochayiv Lavra, informs a portal “Orthodox life” with reference to Pochaev.org.ua.
“These days the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is going through days of strong temptation and excessive pressure from the authorities. The current rulers of Ukraine has crossed all boundaries. They use the feelings of believers, pursuing their own political goals. They encroached on the very essence of Ukrainian Orthodoxy in order to undermine Ukraine’s already fragile religious peace,” – said in the appeal.
“All the assurances from the President about the absence of any encroachments on the property and facilities of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church turned out to be wrong. For those methods that are chosen for the pressure on the clergy of the UOC may not be accepted in any law-abiding society,” say the monks.
After the cancellation of registration of use of the UOC of the complex of buildings of the Pochayiv monastery by the Ministry of justice of Ukraine, “there is every reason to believe that the government intend to take Pochaev Lavra of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to continue to pass it on to the dissenters,” said the brethren of the monastery.
“I want to ask: who’s next – the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra? Our monasteries and churches in Ukraine? So is the present President of the multinational, multi-religious country?” – asks the monks of the monastery.
“The Orthodox Church remembers the years of “red terror”, was destroyed when tens of thousands of clergy and laity, and churches and monasteries were devoted to destruction and desolation. Isn’t that craves our government, which itself condemned the atrocities of the Bolsheviks? And if such should be the price of an Autocephalous Church? The price of blood, suffering and hatred,” say the monks.
“We urge the authorities of Ukraine and President Poroshenko to immediately stop the pressure on the canonical Orthodox Church and stop inciting religious war. Do not interfere in the Affairs of the Church. For God is God’s and Caesar what is Caesar’s” – sums up the brethren of the Lavra Pochayiv.