Metropolitan Anthony comments on the situation at Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra
Met. Anthony urged to approach the incidence at the Kiev-Caves Lavra without whipping up hysteria and assured that over time the shrine will be open to believers.
On April 14, 2020, the UOC Chancellor, Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) of Boryspil and Brovary, published a commentary on the situation with the coronavirus incidence at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. The hierarch posted the comment on Facebook.
“Unfortunately, the disease does not pass anyone by. Everyone can be affected by it – from the commoner to the representative of the highest echelons of power. For example, the media reported that 9 parliamentarians of the Verkhovna Rada got ill. At the same time, the MPs themselves say that there are a lot of more infected in their ranks. This proves only one thing – no one is safe from the virus. Everyone gets ill. Representatives of different faiths, ranks and regions. One way or another, this is life, but all trials must be endured with a cold head, without panic and especially without hyped-up hysteria,” the hierarch emphasized.
He explained that the Lavra is quarantined, its monks underwent a medical examination, and those who need it receive medical help. “All the necessary sanitary standards are also observed and there is ongoing disinfection. But the most important thing is that prayer and worship services continue in the temples of the monastery. That is why we hope that with God's help, everything will be solved over time, and the gates of the Lavra will be opened again for believers,” he added.
“In the light of this, the attempts of some forces to arrange a real ‘witch hunt’ look somehow strange and even purely disgusting humanly. Moreover, right now we are facing truly serious threats, in particular, the fire in the Chernobyl zone, which can spread to the storage of radioactive waste. The consequences of this can be really disastrous.
In my opinion, it is precisely in this direction that we must now employ all our resources and efforts, not being distracted by stirring up passions in those situations where composure and mutual support are more appropriate,” concluded Met. Anthony.
As the UOJ reported, according to the UOC, all the monks of the Holy Pechersk Monastery had undergone a medical examination, with several monks taken to the capital’s hospitals. By the order of the administration of the Holy Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra of April 13, 2020, additional quarantine restrictions were introduced in the monastery.
