Local Orthodox Church media report on murder at Ukrainian Sviatohirsk Lavra

Funeral service for Monk Varsonofiy (Turianskyi). Photo: Sviatohirsk Lavra

Church media outlets abroad have published detailed reports on the brutal murder of a monk at the Holy Dormition Sviatohirsk Lavra. Journalists from the Greek agency Romfea, the Bulgarian portal Hristonostsi, and the Macedonian outlet Liturgija published reports on the attack against the monastery brethren.

At around 11:00 a.m. that day, a group of armed men attacked members of the Lavra community near St Nicholas Church. Monk Varsonofiy (Turyansky) died from stab wounds, while Hieromonk Grigoriy and Andriy Kyriienko, who was staying at the monastery, were seriously wounded.

Journalists from the Greek news agency Romfea expressed profound shock at the details of the armed attack on the monastery. Their reports highlighted the courage of those wounded, who openly professed their faith in the face of mortal danger.

The Macedonian church portal Liturgija stressed that the grave crime had an apparent political and religious dimension. The authors noted that the Sviatohirsk Lavra has faced constant pressure and described the monk’s murder as the latest escalation in the persecution of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The Bulgarian Orthodox portal Hristonostsi described what happened at the monastery as a tragedy of martyrdom. The authors emphasized what they saw as the confessional nature of the brutal crime. The Bulgarian journalists described wounded novice Andriy Kyriienko’s response to the attackers as the words of a true soldier of Christ.

Orthodox journalists in Bulgaria also expressed deep concern over the complete silence of the official investigative authorities. They voiced suspicions that the authorities were unwilling to conduct an honest investigation and suggested that the identities of the perpetrators might already be known to them.

Orthodox Christians abroad continue to pray to God for the lives of the wounded defenders of the Lavra, expressing hope that the truth about this unprecedented act of hatred against the holy monastery will not remain hidden.

As the UOJ reported, the Odesa Eparchy called for the murder of the monk at the Lavra not to be hushed up.

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