Alexander Usik: After each visit, I leave Lavra as a different person
Alexander Usik in the caves of the Lavra. Photo: a screenshot of Oksana Marchenko's YouTube channel
The Ukrainian heavyweight boxer and a believer of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Alexander Usik said in the first episode of the Oksana Marchenko project "The Pilgrim" that after each visit to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, he leaves the shrine as a different person.
According to the Ukrainian boxer, he can visit the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra every day during a week: “I come here, walk, pray near Ilya Muromets, St. Anthony ... I sit, walk around and leave it as a completely different person,” the athlete said.
Alexander Usyk added that he does not ask God for material benefits but prays the Lord "to give strength and humility and help to go through all this".
As reported earlier, in the first episode of the series "The Pilgrim" by Oksana Marchenko, the "secret" caves of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, which are usually inaccessible to pilgrims, were shown.
Read also
Bancheny Monastery reports provocation
The UOC monastery in Bancheny has reported a provocation by unidentified individuals.
Romanian Church to hold joint prayer for peace in Ukraine
On the fourth anniversary of the beginning of the war in Ukraine, special prayers for an end to the hostility will be offered in all churches of the Romanian Patriarchate, both in the country and abroad.
Armenian bishops call on authorities to stop Church persecution
At a meeting in Austria, hierarchs of the Armenian Apostolic Church reaffirmed their faithfulness to Catholicos Karekin II of All Armenians and called on the authorities to stop the persecution of the clergy.
Italian media: Ukrainian authorities persecute the country’s largest confession
The Italian outlet L’Identità reported on mass searches, the arrests of clergy, and the ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which it describes as the largest Church in Ukraine.
Festival marking Orthodox Youth Day held in UOC's Volyn Eparchy
In Lutsk, the UOC’s annual youth forum brought together parish groups, clergy, and participants in a creative program for Orthodox Youth Day.
London mayor switches on festive Ramadan lights
In London, the Muslim mayor inaugurated Ramadan illuminations: a central street was decorated with a “Happy Ramadan” sign and Islamic-style ornaments.