Jerusalem hierarch: Authorities mock faith in the Lavra

Metropolitan Timotheos of Bostra. Photo: UOJ

The Exarch of the Jerusalem Patriarchate in Cyprus, Metropolitan Timotheos (Margaritis) of Bostra, in an exclusive comment to the UOJ, stated that the manipulations by the staff of the Lavra Reserve with the relics of the Venerable Fathers of the Caves constitute sacrilege comparable to the crimes of the godless Bolshevik regime.

“With deep sorrow and indignation I received the news of the new actions of the Ukrainian authorities against our Orthodox faith. State officials are no longer limiting themselves to seizing holy churches, obstructing the celebration of divine services, intimidating the clergy and faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. They are now committing dreadful acts against the piety of all Orthodox Christians through the desecration of the holy relics. This is an insult to the memory and honor of the saints of God, to whom we appeal in prayer for their intercession,” said the hierarch, stressing that such actions are a heavy blow to the spiritual conscience of every pious person.

According to him, the manipulations by the museum staff with the relics of the Venerable Fathers of the Caves are “blasphemy and the greatest sacrilege, reviving in our memory the sufferings and persecutions of the Church during the dark period of the godless Soviet regime.”

“Unfortunately, such events are now being repeated by state institutions of a so-called democratic state under the pretext of supposedly ‘cultural management’ of holy relics,” he emphasized.

The Metropolitan is convinced that such actions can only be described as the desecration of holy things and a mockery of the sacred foundations of faith. “It is also a flagrant violation of freedom of worship, infringing upon the right to religion of the overwhelming majority of the Orthodox faithful of Ukraine. These ungodly and lawless actions of state officials are unequivocally condemned by the Church and wound the Body of Christ,” said the Jerusalem hierarch.

“With fervent prayer to the Lord for their enlightenment, I appeal to the international community, to responsible human rights organizations, and to every person of goodwill, with a call to intervene and put an end to this ongoing sacrilege and disgrace,” the hierarch declared, emphasizing that peace among nations can be built only on the principles of mutual respect for freedom of conscience, religious traditions, truth, and justice.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Lavra Reserve staff were carrying out manipulations with the relics of the Venerable Fathers of the Kyiv Caves.

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