Ukrainian Bezpeka in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra
Not so long ago, a former Orthodox citizen of Ukraine Mikhail Omelyan, reforged into an adept of the newly emerged OCU (schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine), scribbled a denunciation of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra about, that they sing songs for the glory of Russia. According to established tradition, the denunciation entered the security service, who became patriotically excited and undertook to put things in order in the Lavra. Security said, that will not allow the emergence of a cell of the "Russian world" here.
Omelyan turned out to be a person who was not alien to modern methods of communication and, along with the denunciation, made a record in one of the temples of the Lavra of the song "The ringing floats, floats over Russia, Mother Rus' is awakening". There was a scandal, and Lavra clergy, under pressure, forbidden in the ministry of the priest Zechariah, during the service of which the song sounded.
The OCU came into the world in 2019 g. through the efforts of the Ecumenical (Constantinople) patriarchy despite the consent of the ROC and the UOC, but with the support of the Ukrainian authorities. This pseudo-church structure feels quite at ease. As it appears, denunciation of the Lavra will be the signal for a decisive attack on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which does not suit the Kyiv authorities with its moderation.
The OCU has already declared its desire to take possession of one of the temples of the Lavra, and then expects to seize the laurel completely.
About, what line does the OCU pursue in church politics, evidenced by the list of her educational institutions: almost all of them are "Western" and are under the influence of the Uniates:
– Lviv Orthodox Theological Academy,
– Volyn Orthodox Theological Academy,
– Uzhgorod Theological Academy named after Saints Cyril and Methodius,
– Ivano-Frankivsk Theological Institute named after St. Theodosius Manyavsky,
– Theological Department at the Faculty of Philosophy and Theology of Chernivtsi National University named after Yuriy Fedkovych,
– Dnipro Theological Seminary,
– Lviv Theological Seminary,
– Rivne Theological Seminary,
– Ternopil Theological Seminary.
Graduates of these institutions, being appointed to parishes, definitively westernize Orthodoxy in Ukraine, how secular governance structures were Westernized in due time due to the influx of Westerners into them.
Respectively, in Ukraine, the number of mistletoe is multiplying, surrounding believers of the UOC in a hostile ring. Need to know, that in March a bill was submitted to the Verkhovna Rada to ban the activities of the UOC, seizure of her real estate and other property. And in the western regions of Ukraine, the attack on the UOC has been going on for a long time. The SBU raided the Pochaev Lavra in the Ternopil region, looking for "collaborators". For the Ternopil region, this is now a common occurrence.. After 2014 year and the beginning of the conflict in the east of Ukraine, but especially after the appearance of the OCU, the situation worsened even more. Lawlessness, associated with the capture of Orthodox churches, has become ubiquitous. When Orthodox believers are expelled from churches, they are often beaten.
What awaits the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra? Will the voice of world Orthodoxy be heard in defense of the canonical church in Ukraine? One of the ministers of the Ternopil diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church says: “In the Ternopil region, under all presidents, the attitude towards us was consistently negative. Emotions take over, I don't even understand, where does this anger come from, after all, our opponents consider themselves Christians. AND, like christians, should be able to love and forgive. But we can't prove anything. Politics, nationalism comes to the fore. people think, that we are enemies, occupiers, separatists. Such is the upbringing: from generation to generation, from kindergarten, from school. At all levels, they talk about us in a very negative way., therefore, no serious changes for the better, we, Alas, we do not expect. I think, that they want to squeeze out our Church not only from Galicia, but also from all over Ukraine".
Dmitri Sedov
