Sviatogorsk Lavra responds to another fake of mass media

Vicegerent of the Holy Dormition Sviatogorsk Lavra Met. Arseniy commented to the correspondent of the UOJ about assaults of the monastery’s brethren from nationalists. The latter in the film ”Paths of War: Saboteurs in Cassocks” accused the monastery’s brethren of their refusing to pray for the military men in service.

"They brought a note to the icon shop that was not even with names, but with call signs," said Vladyka Arseny. "And then the monk asked them to write their names." They began to write names, but the monk in the shop still remarked to them: "You can only write Orthodox Christian baptized Christians." The answer followed. "They are Greek Catholics". Sorry, but we are Orthodox and dogmatically cannot pray for Greek Catholics. And then these people started to aggravate the situation, causing a conflict. The monk, though strictly, but correctly answered, that we do not pray for the heterodox and mention their names in their churches. It has been so for a long time. Neither the deceased Lubomyr Guzar, nor Svyatoslav Shevchuk or the Pope are offended that I do not pray them in my Church. Because they understand that there is a Catholic Church, there is a Greek Catholic, and there is an Orthodox Church."

The vicegerent of the Lavra also expressed bewilderment at the fact that the nationalists want to be prayed for at the UOC, but at the same time they use every opportunity to tarnish the Church.

"If they really value our prayer so much, then where does the content of all that reportage come from?” Vladyka Arseny is surprised. “In this film all the time our Church and our arch-pastors are showered with mud. The facts are shown, which are sucked from a finger. And at the same time they long for our prayers so much? This resembles Judah’s kissing of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. So you feel like asking, "Do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?" Of course, their question was insincere, and the whole conversation was sly. It was a provocation. But what struck me most was that they present this entire reportage as something heroic and patriotic. Last year at Boryspil a bunch of madmen threw eggs at the Svyatogorsk icon of the Mother of God during the Holy Procession ... And now they show this story, but they immediately ask us to pray for them. "

At the same time, Metropolitan Arseny assured that even these misguided children can return to the Church.

"Anyway, if they really want us to pray for them personally, then I do not mind: let them take the Orthodox faith, commune, confess," said the vicegerent of the monastery. "We pray for everyone." I have a brother and military cousins. So imagine – do I not pray for the military? Let them come and record the full service – we all the time pray for the authorities and the army of the country. The brethren mention prayerfully 300,000 names a day. Of course, we are ready to pray for everyone who comes to our Church, respects and considers her Mother. But when so much mud pours out, and then the detractors get outraged because we do not pray for them? We understand that we live not in the Kingdom of Heaven, but in sinful earth. There is such an expression in Scripture that "every man is a lie." This does not mean that every person is bound to lie, just every person is imperfect. And this imperfection manifests itself in human relations, when people follow the evil. But there are a lot of those who have a good example before them. We had such a priest – spiritual father, Schiarchimandrite Seraphim, and he said, "It’s small wonder that a person has sinned, it will be wonderful when a person repents." This will be a miracle everyone should be told about." Therefore, we perceive even such an evil in our address only as mistakes of these people, their unreasonable jealousy. And may the Lord help come to the mind of Truth."