Met Arseniy interviewed by British media about persecutions against UOC

Metropolitan Arseniy. Photo: facebook.com/svlavra

Metropolitan Arseniy, the abbot of the Dormition Sviatohirsk Lavra, who was arrested on charges of providing information to Russia about the Ukrainian Armed Forces, stated that his arrest is part of a broader campaign of persecution against the UOC by Zelensky's government. In an exclusive interview with The Independent, the metropolitan called on the UK to use its influence to stop the repression of the UOC.

He emphasized, "The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is facing a great trial. Our holy temples and shrines have been destroyed, and our priests and parishioners are being killed in the war. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government seeks to ban the church. Priests are being wrongfully arrested, and our places of worship are being seized and taken from us."

The abbot of the Sviatohirsk Lavra categorically rejected accusations that the UOC is allegedly working for the Russian government. "The authorities in Ukraine unfairly accuse the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of being a mouthpiece of Russian propaganda. Nothing is further from the truth. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is a one-thousand-year-old Christian denomination. Its churches and monasteries are world renowned. We do not preach any ideology. We preach the good news of God’s promise of forgiveness from sin," the metropolitan said.

The Sviatohirsk Lavra, which Metropolitan Arseniy has led since 1995, has suffered from military actions. He spoke about how the monastery continues to support local residents despite the destruction: "We of the Sviatohirsk Lavra have suffered with our fellow Ukrainian citizens during the war. Our local parishioners fight on the front lines and our historic monastery has been badly damaged by bombing... Despite all the good that our monastery has done, the authorities seek to undo our hard work. The government has mounted a campaign to strip the monastery from us. Meanwhile, I have been persecuted for my faith and detained in jail."

Metropolitan Arseniy also shared details of his painful time in detention: "In violation of the law and criminal procedure of Ukraine, I have been detained in a prison facility for nearly six months. My court hearings offer no hope of respite."

The Sviatohisrsk bishop also described how he was transported to a court in Sloviansk under harsh conditions: "Over the summer, I was forced to travel eight hours from where I am held in Dnipro to reach Sloviansk, the location of the court, a town close to the front lines. The vehicle often had no air-conditioning, and I suffocated in the summer heat," detailing that he was handcuffed for the duration of the journey and denied water and food. "Once the hearings were over, I was forced to travel back to Dnipro in the same conditions,” Met. Arseniy said.

He added: “I am 56, and my health is beginning to fail. Although I do not know when I will be released, I put my trust in God and will continue to speak only truth."

Concluding his interview, the metropolitan expressed hope for the end of the persecutions against the UOC: "I pray for this ordeal to end, for my return to Sviatohirsk, the reconstruction of our monastery, and peace in Ukraine. I pray too for an end to the attack on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. We Ukrainians must be united."

As reported by the UOJ, the hearing in Metropolitan Arseniy's case has been postponed to October 22.

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