Department for External Church Relations
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Primate of the Orthodox Church in America issued a statement on Kiev Caves Lavra
DECR Communication Service, 29.03.2023.
On March 28, 2023, His Beatitude Tikhon, Metropolitan of All America and Canada, issued a statement on the developments in the Kiev Caves Lavra and persecutions against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
He reminded that the Orthodox Church in America encompasses clergy and faithful from various ethnic backgrounds and her parishes and dioceses share in ethnic traditions from many local Orthodox Churches, however she has a special historical relationship ‘with the holy traditions of Orthodox Christianity originating from the churches of Rus, and the mother city of all the peoples and churches of Rus in general, and of Ukraine in particular is Kiev’. ‘Thus it is with special concern that we observe the recent developments in the relationship between the civil authorities of Ukraine and the monastic brethren from the Kyiv Caves Lavra, the motherhouse of monasticism in Rus and in Ukraine in particular’, His Beatitude stressed.
On behalf of the clergy and laity of the Orthodox Church in America, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon gave an assurance that they will continue praying for the people of Ukraine and stated their condemnation of all wars and as well as ‘the restrictions on the religious freedom of any group’ in Ukraine and especially the increasing persecutions against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church headed by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy. ‘We once again assure Metropolitan Onufriy, his clergy, and the Ukrainian faithful, who are beset by troubles on all sides, that the Orthodox Church in America stands ready to support the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, both with our prayers and by any other means at our disposal’, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon stressed.
The Primate of the Orthodox Church in America also sent a letter on the developments around the Kiev Lavra of the Caves to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.
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