Metropolitan Filaret of Lviv comments on demolition of church in Lviv
According to the hierarch, no Orthodox churches have been demolished in Galicia since the times of the Soviet totalitarian regime.
Metropolitan Filaret of Lviv commented on the demolition of St. Prince Volodymyr's Church (UOC) in the Sykhiv massif of the city.
The hierarch wrote on his Telegram channel that "an Orthodox church was demolished in Lviv on 6 April 2023", adding that "this community has been repeatedly harassed. The temple has been tried to be demolished several times and set on fire twice".
"Based on the fact that the decision of the City Council, the land plot where the church is located was transferred to the OCU for the construction of a cathedral and a decision was made to demolish the church as an illegal development," the bishop says.
He stressed that "since the times of the Soviet totalitarian regime, there has not been such a situation when an Orthodox church was demolished in Galicia. "A temple is a place where bloodless sacrifice is made, a place which is a shrine," Metropolitan Filaret highlighted.
"Unfortunately, this did not stop the radicals and the temple at Sikhov was demolished. The community abandoned the church and, in our opinion, it could have continued to exist and be used by the OCU community because the construction of the cathedral will not be started for a long time yet," the bishop wrote.
He stressed that history shows that such actions lead to tragedy. "All the more so when the state is at war and we kneel and ask God for peace and victory. God sends victory where there is unity, love and understanding."
"I pray that the Lord will not allow trials for us. I urge everyone to reconciliation and mutual respect on the basis of Gospel love," resumed Metropolitan Filaret of Lviv.
As reported, a full video of the destruction of the UOC church in Lviv with an excavator has appeared on the Internet.
