Novynskyi: With their blasphemy, authorities invite troubles upon entire country

Protodeacon Vadym Novynskyi. Photo: Novynskyi's website

Protodeacon of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and former Member of Parliament Vadym Novynsky commented on his website regarding the effective state takeover of the Near and Far Caves of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, as well as the commission established to examine the relics of the Pechersk Saints.

He described the events as a "neo-Bolshevik" manifestation of the current authorities. According to him, cynicism and blatant blasphemy are embedded even in the very idea of the "study".

“Are officials planning to determine the holiness of church relics? Or is the goal to divide the Pechersk Saints into ‘ours’ and ‘theirs’?” Novynskyi asked.

He reminded readers that the saints resting in the caves of the Lavra come from various regions, including ascetics from Novgorod, Smolensk, and Polotsk. The relics of the Holy Hieromartyr Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) of Kyiv and Galicia, martyred in 1918, are located in the Far Caves.

“Is the government really preparing to conduct DNA tests to determine how much ‘Ukrainian’ the relics are?” the protodeacon inquired.

“The state is clearly trying to set itself against the Church, just as the Bolsheviks once did. In 1922, they initiated an inspection of the relics of the Lavra saints, and throughout the Soviet era, these holy remains were repeatedly disturbed,” he noted.

According to Novynskyi, the incorruptibility of the Pechersk Saints is a sign of sanctity, not a subject for scientific study. “The relics of the Pechersk Saints are not ‘remains’ for laboratory experiments. They are sacred,” he emphasized.

“Today, in the Lavra, the Ukrainian authorities are acting not only against the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. They are committing sacrilege and mocking the entire fullness of Orthodoxy,” Novynskyi declared.

He expressed hope that the Local Orthodox Churches would respond to the actions of the Ukrainian authorities and warned: “By committing sacrilege, the authorities are calling down new misfortunes and suffering upon Ukraine, challenging God and His Church.”

“All we can do is pray for Ukraine, and for peace and prosperity to return to our land. As for those who have chosen the path of fighting against God – they have determined their own fate,” Novynskyi concluded.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that a Greek theologian had appealed to the primates of the Churches over the sacrilege occurring in the Lavra.

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