UOC Chancellor: None of the media refuted lies about "weapons in the Lavra"

Chancellor of the UOC, Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich). Photo: screenshot / youtube.com / Anatoly Shariy

The UOC has learned through hard experience from the pressure which the media have exposed and continue to expose it to, but so far none of those disseminating false information about the storage of weapons and separatists in the Holy Dormition Sviatogorsk Lavra has published a refutation. This is how the Chancellor of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary, explained to the journalists of the Shari.net project why their film crew faced certain difficulties in Sviatogorsk during the preparation of the film “UOC. From 'Separatists In Lavras' To Incitement And Forgiveness".

The hierarch recalled that, firstly, any outside interference in the inner life of the monastery, which has its own internal way of life, entails certain chaos, and secondly, “in recent the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, unfortunately, has learned through hard experience of being continually badmouthed.”

“Some (journalists – Ed.) directly stated that they would be filming the provocation – they were looking for some kind of warehouses with weapons, separatists or something else,” Metropolitan Anthony said in a comment to the journalists of the Shariy.net project. “Others were hiding their real intentions pretending they were interested in monastic life, but actually looking for some kind of mud. Unfortunately, in the Church we are now taught that the pressure that has been and is being exerted in the media on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, on monasteries, on parishes, is probably unprecedented."

According to the Metropolitan, under such pressure, it is necessary to preserve the internal charter, "not becoming aggressive and hateful because people are telling a lie."

“There were a lot of films and information that the Sviatogorsk Lavra contains weapons. We then asked the competent authorities to come and check on it. They did to find nothing. We informed the editions and asked them to refute fakes, but, unfortunately, nobody did it, ”added the UOC Chancellor.

As reported by the UOJ, Ukrainian journalist and video blogger Anatoly Shariy presented the film “UOC. From ‘Separatists In Lavras’ To Incitement And Forgiveness ", which tells about the realities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, living amid constant pressure and accusations.

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