Theologian: Those who expel Lavra monks and "study" relics are not Christians

Near Caves of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Photo: Lavra’s official website

In an interview with UOJ in Bulgaria, Bulgarian theologian Aleksandar Todorov commented on the actions of the Ukrainian authorities regarding the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

He stressed that one can approach God through faith and love, not through scientific research.

"If it were otherwise, then the greatest scientific researchers would have become saints, not the humble monks adorned with faith and love. The heads of many saints from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra exude myrrh, not the heads of scientists. When someone is in grief and seeks God's mercy for a particular problem, they turn to the prayers and intercession of the saints, not to scientific researchers.

Therefore, those who expel monks from the Lavra and seize holy relics to conduct 'scientific studies' show through their sacrilegious acts against the sacred that they simply are not Christians ('By their fruits you will know them' – Matthew 7:20)," Todorov said.

According to him, in Ukraine today, "the earthly, the worldly, the political once again persecutes the spiritual and Christian. Nothing new here. The same happened during Roman, Ottoman, and Communist persecutions of the Church."

"Today’s persecutors of Christ’s Church in Ukraine will, of course, not openly declare: 'We are fighting against Orthodoxy' (they allegedly respect freedom of religion as a basic human right), but instead will invent all sorts of formally 'legal' pretexts for persecution, expropriation of property, 'scientific research,' imprisonment, and so forth. Ultimately, this is perfectly consistent, because they are the spiritual children and heirs of those who 'watched Him closely and sought to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him' (Luke 11:54), who 'sought false testimony against Jesus' (Matthew 26:59), and who cried out, 'Crucify Him, crucify Him' (John 19:6)," the theologian said, emphasizing that the monks of the Lavra are the spiritual children and heirs of Christ.

He believes that those who describe the seizure of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and the holy relics as merely an act of political warfare are mistaken.

"If the persecutors truly knew the Savior and sought, according to His words, 'the Kingdom of God and His righteousness' (Matthew 6:33), then political goals would come second, and the salvation of souls would come first. And they would not naively dare to profane the sacred, oblivious to the consequences of such sin. But due to their spiritual blindness, the opposite is true: political aims come first for them, while salvation is either secondary or entirely absent from their concerns. The deep true cause of this sacrilege is not political, but lies in their ignorance of God and hostility toward Christ’s followers – that is, the Church. These persecutors have simply lost their way, having chosen the side of darkness," Todorov emphasized.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the monks of Mount Athos condemned the desecration of relics at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

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