Jerusalem Church hierarch supports Sviatohirsk Lavra brethren
Metropolitan Timotheos of Bostra, a hierarch of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, sent a letter of support to Metropolitan Arseniy, abbot of Sviatohirsk Lavra, and the monastic community. In his message, the Exarch of the Holy Sepulchre in Cyprus expressed his deep condolences over the attack on the Sviatohirsk monastery.
His Eminence Timotheos assured the brethren of his continued prayerful support. He said prayers for the repose of the slain monk and the swift recovery of the wounded are already being offered at the Life-Giving Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
The Jerusalem Church hierarch directly addressed what he believes to be the root cause of the tragedy. In his view, the monk’s murder was the natural outcome of a years-long campaign of harassment and incitement to hatred against believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
“Over the past several years, the entire Orthodox world has watched as an atmosphere of suspicion, hostility, and open hatred around the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has grown thicker year after year... When people are taught for years to see a baptized brother as an enemy, sooner or later someone will inevitably take that idea to its extreme. The murder at Sviatohirsk Lavra is precisely such an extreme, and a tragedy like this could not have occurred in society without hostility first being systematically stoked.”
The metropolitan called on Ukrainian law enforcement agencies and state authorities to conduct a full, impartial, and transparent investigation into the crime. The Exarch of the Holy Sepulchre urged the authorities to protect Orthodox monasteries from violence and to put an end to hate speech against believers of the canonical Church.
“Those responsible must face lawful punishment regardless of their social standing. The silence surrounding this case is far more dangerous than the crime itself, because it instills in society the idea that a monk’s blood comes cheap.”
The Jerusalem Church hierarch also offered words of consolation to the monks of Sviatohirsk Lavra, urging them to remain steadfast and not allow a desire for revenge to enter their hearts.
“Do not let hatred or a thirst for vengeance enter your hearts,” Metropolitan Timotheos concluded. “Prayer and steadfast adherence to the truth have always been the Church’s only response to violence.”
