Lavra abbot comments on shelling of Dormition Cathedral
Abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Metropolitan Pavel (Lebed). Photo: screenshot from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra YouTube channel
On June 15, 2026, Metropolitan Pavel (Lebed), abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, called the destruction of the Dormition Cathedral “a great sorrow” for the fullness of the Universal Orthodox Church. The UOC hierarch issued an address in which he stressed that behind the physical destruction of walls lies a spiritual catastrophe.
“It is a sorrow when churches are destroyed in any Local Church. People who think they are doing this are, in fact, not the ones doing it – it is being done by the devil, who abandoned Christ, His Church, and the faithful for a time,” the hierarch said.
The abbot recalled that the cathedral, restored in 2000, is now experiencing a tragic period not only because of shelling, but also because of the attitude of its new owners.
“They dance in the churches, shoot all kinds of improper videos, fry and steam things – instead of prayer, instead of the unifying Divine power abiding there,” the hierarch said, denouncing what he described as the systematic desecration of the monastery.
He added that today outsiders and women enter the altar, while clergy are openly mocked. “Today there is emptiness, abomination, and desolation,” the hierarch stressed.
According to Metropolitan Pavel, the current persecution of the UOC is caused by its faithfulness to the canons.
“Today we are the persecuted Church in Ukraine, the hated Church. Why? Because we preserve the unity of the Universal Orthodox Church,” he explained.
The abbot called on the monastery brethren not to lose heart or yield to pressure.
“Pray, do not go anywhere, do not leave. And forgive those people who have lost the image of God,” he said.
As the UOJ reported, the UOC commented on the strike on the Dormition Cathedral.
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