In late November, the defenders of Ukraine and war veterans made a pilgrimage to the Holy Mount Athos. The trip, organized by the Lviv Pilgrimage Center “Archangel Michael”, the Axios Center with the support of the Pilgrimage Center of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, offered an opportunity to the Ukrainian defenders to spiritually renew themselves and find peace of mind.
According to the OCU, servicemen from the western regions of Ukraine traveled more than 1,500 km to visit the largest center of Orthodox monasticism in the world. Athos is famous for its 20 operating monasteries and 12 hermitages. One of the important stops for the pilgrims was the Ukrainian cell monastery of the Holy Archangels, which has been restored by the Ukrainian monk Paisius (Kryl) since 2021.
The soldiers prayed in their native language for the victory of Ukraine, its people, and peace. The pilgrims received special support from the abbot of the Xenophonos Monastery, Abbot Alexei, who expressed faith in the victory of Ukraine: “Evil will definitely be punished, crimes cannot be hidden. God does not bless injustice. You have numerous victims, but, unfortunately, freedom cannot be gained without blood. I wish you inspiration in your struggle. Putin wants your submission, but he will not succeed. We pray to the Mother of God that peace will come to you very soon.”
The pilgrims saw in the reconstruction of the cell of the Holy Archangels a symbol of rebirth, because Ukraine is also currently in ruins due to the war. However, thanks to the efforts of Ukrainians, both the cell and Ukraine will certainly be restored.
“This journey to the Holy Mount Athos was not long, but it gave our fighters a lot – peace of mind, inspiration, blessings, confidence, spiritual strength, which they will definitely share with their relatives and their brothers in Ukraine,” the OCU reported.
It should be recalled that the Primate of the OCU said Metropolitan Onufriy is blocking any attempts at dialogue. Also in Vinnytsia, the Metropolitan of the OCU consecrated a new temple.
