Metropolitan Arseny: Ukrainian lavras are strongly against autocephaly

Metropolitan Arseny of Sviatogorsk

Metropolitan Arseny (Yakovenko) of Sviatogorsk said in his sermon on September 24, the day of the Synaxis of the Sviatogorsk Saints, that Ukrainian lavras are categorically against autocephaly, reports the press service of the monastery.

"Primate of our Church, and His Grace Pavel with the Kiev-Pechersk brethren, and His Grace Vladimir with the Pochaev brethren, and we with the brethren and unanimous clergy – we are strongly against autocephaly," said Metropolitan Arseny.

The abbot of the Sviatogorsk Lavra noted that "the only thing that a modern man, including politicians, should change is their sinful life for a righteous life".

Metropolitan Arseny wished the statesmen would deal with the state affairs and let His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry and the clergy of the UOC deal with the affairs of the Church.

The hierarch also wished the believers to stand firm for the canonical organization of the Mother Church.

"Because our predecessors were sentenced to hard labour, imprisoned, and shot ... <...> They secretly prayed, secretly married, secretly served at times when there were no temples, when churches were destroyed and closed, but they managed to preserve Holy Orthodoxy to our days. God grant that we, brothers and sisters, will keep it in purity, following their model," concluded Metropolitan Arseny.

As the UOJ reported, the head of the Kiev Patriarchate Filaret has repeatedly stated that the Kiev-Pechersk and Pochaev Lavra, which belong to the UOC, must be transferred to a new Local Church, which Filaret himself intends to lead.

In turn, Abbess Seraphima (Shevchik) said that the clergy and believers from the Kiev-Pechersk, Pochaev and Sviatogorsk Lavras will defend their shrines to their last breath.

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