Bulgarian priest voices support for UOC after Sviatohirsk monk’s murder

Archpriest Vasiliy Dimitrov expressed support for the UOC after the attack on the Sviatohirsk Lavra. Photo: UOJ

Bulgarian Orthodox Church priest Archpriest Vasiliy Dimitrov expressed fraternal prayerful support for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church following the tragedy at the Sviatohirsk Lavra.

Fr. Vasiliy addressed words of support to His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry, Primate of the UOC, as well as to the Church’s hierarchs, clergy and laity. He called on the international community to ensure an honest investigation into the crime and to protect Christian churches.

“I express my fraternal prayerful support for the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church headed by its Primate, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine, for its hierarchs, clergy, monastics and millions of faithful.”

The Bulgarian priest also expressed admiration for the courage of the slain monk Varsonofiy. According to eyewitnesses, shortly before his death the monk professed his faith, saying: “Glory to the Lord Jesus Christ!.. I am a monk.”

“Face to face with death – no curse,” Fr. Vasiliy said. “No hatred. No revenge. Christ. That is the monk’s answer to this world gone mad.”

The priest stressed that state pressure and the actions of radicals cannot destroy true faith.

“You can tear down walls,” he said. “You can close churches. You can humiliate clergy. You can slander. But you cannot kill the Church of Christ. Because the Church exists neither by human authority nor by human mercy.”

“I call for a fair and transparent investigation into this horrific crime. I call for the protection of monasteries, churches, clergy, monastics and laypeople. I call for an end to all hostility toward people simply because they pray in the church to which they belong by conscience and faith,” the priest said.

In closing, the archpriest urged all Orthodox Christians not to remain indifferent.

“Today our prayers must be with the Sviatohirsk Lavra. With the brotherhood. With the wounded. With the family and loved ones of the slain monk. With all the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church who are enduring severe trials.”

As the UOJ reported, a German theologian condemned the killing of the Sviatohirsk Lavra monk.

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