Metropolitan Oleksandr of Pereyaslav and Vishneve reflected on what might happen next with the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. He is sure that the authorities will organize a negotiation process between representatives from the UOC (MP) and the OCU.
“I hope that the issue will be settled peacefully and, since conflict situations have arisen, they pose a threat to our church-wide communication. I think that the relevant competent structures will put the representatives from the two structures that are interested in resolving the issue at the negotiating table and reach a common denominator,” the Metropolitan said in an interview for NovynyLIVE, reports the Spiritual Front of Ukraine.
When asked about the OCU’s strategy regarding the Lavra, the hierarch noted that he had lived in the Lavra for 16 years, and that he was sorry for the situation that is currently unfolding in the Lavra.
“I am very sorry that the process is taking place exactly in the way it is because it should have been solved in a completely different way. This way is very simple. It was necessary to contain Vladyka Pavlo, as a vicar long ago. In 2012, the (late) Metropolitan Volodymyr actually transferred him to the Chernihiv Cathedral because already at that time there were conflict situations in which he was involved. Anyway, you know that fish rots head first, right? It is worth cutting that head off and then the rest of normal relations could be built,” said Metropolitan Oleksandr of Pereyaslav and Vishneve.
Metropolitan Oleksandr believes that the UOC (MP) should have declared autocephaly and thus pro-Russian monks and clerics would have left the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra themselves.
“Well, of course, it was necessary to solve the issue by declaring autocephaly again. Autocephaly would be declared, the brothers who are absolutely pro-Russian would be dissatisfied with the policies of the whole church so they would leave the Lavra in search of some more convenient pro-Russian nests, and the rest of the brothers would remain in place and simply live a normal church life in the Ukrainian Lavra along with the Ukrainian people, praying for the victory of the Ukrainian Army,” said the OCU bishop.
According to him, there are very patriotic monks in the Lavra, but there are also those who “kept the tricolor and portraits of the Tsar and Putin in their rooms until the last day.” “That is, it is necessary to approach this issue in a differentiated manner, not to address generally,” Metropolitan Oleksandr concluded, adding that he would wait for the results of the commission’s work, initiated by the NSDC.
