6 December 2018 on the website of the Pochayiv Lavra was published the open letter of the Abbot of the monastery of Metropolitan Volodymyr to the President of Ukraine Petr A. Poroshenko reported Information and enlightenment Department of the UOC.
In his address, the Archbishop recalled that “we live in the same country. All are countrymen, compatriots, and You, Mr. President, is the guarantor of our rights and freedoms.”
“First of all, we are Orthodox Christians, seeking to make Christ’s law of life in preparation for eternity, — he said and continued.
“In the past, You, dear Pyotr Alexeyevich, was a subdeacon of our Church. Your father has repeatedly been to the Holy Dormition Pochayiv Lavra, where we are, as far as possible, focused.
I remember our pleasant conversations and arguments about eternal values, when You and your wife were on the worship of the shrines of our community. We have remembered and remained pleasantly surprised when You are stressed as You have repeatedly visited Jerusalem and the reading of the gospel and the Law of God.
And now we wonder and ask: “What happened, Mr. President, that You are so changed their attitude to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, to their fellow – voters, and to our monastery? She wronged You, Your father or Your family?””, — asks the Metropolitan Vladimir.
The Archpastor drew attention to the fact that after a meeting of the President with the bishops of the Church, “our Orthodox Church, Pochayiv Holy Dormition monastery, began to experience pressure from different authorities. Please tell me who gave them that job?”.
“In 50-ies, 60-ies of the last century the brethren of the Lavra, he was expelled from the monastery, imprisoned, despised, accused, slandered, confiscated temples, property and land. They called us “nationalists” because we spoke the Ukrainian language, and now we are “moskali”, because Orthodox and defend the position of our saving Orthodox faith.
Please do not be offended, and note for myself: I will be the end of our lives, anything we have not recovered his position in Eternity, if it say error and do not change their attitude towards Holy Church,” — said the Abbot of the monastery.
His Eminence Archbishop addresses to the guarantor of the state with a request to “show us understanding, and to the Shrine of love and respect, because She went through a lot from others, and now it’s a shame that from his.”
And requests personal intervention “about the events that occur around the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, its faithful, the Pochaiv monastery and its inhabitants, to stop the pressure from the state authorities and there was love and understanding.”
Informed the brethren of the Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra sent a letter in connection with the decision of the Commission of the Ministry of justice of Ukraine to transfer the premises of the monastery Kremenetska-Pochaev reserve. In addition, his concern with the attempts of the state to take away the Pochayiv Lavra was expressed by the Metropolitan of Chisinau and all Moldova Vladimir.
In the Reserve, declared that supposedly “will not turn Lavra into a Museum”, but stressed that “the reserve will carry out legal and technical control” and could pass it on, “one local Church”. 5 Dec Kremenecko-Pochayiv state historic and architectural reserve checked the status of the received premises of the Holy Dormition Pochayiv Lavra.