Metropolitan Vladimir (Moroz) is a bishop of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Metropolitan of Pochaev, Vicar of the Kiev Diocese, and abbot of the Holy Dormition-Pochaev Lavra.
Metropolitan Vladimir
—Vladyka, in your last interview with us, you spoke about the illegal actions of the authorities in relation to our great holy sites, such as the Kiev Caves, Pochaev, and Svyatogorsk Lavras, and a number of other ancient monasteries, which the former guarantor of the constitution of Ukraine1 would have transferred to the new schismatic structure with ease of mind. And before that, the Ternopil Provincial Parliament initiated the transfer of the Pochaev Lavra to the museum, so it would become, by their definition, a “public spiritual center,” for both Greek Catholics and pseudo-Orthodox formations of all stripes. Today the political slogan, “language, army, faith,” has disappeared into oblivion together with the departed President Poroshenko. How did the brethren of the monastery endure these trials?
—As monks should, thank God—bravely, and we could even say heroically. For we have such a motto, as the apostle says: For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Phil. 1:21). Having once taken up the plow, we cannot look back (cf. Lk. 9:62). Having survived the trials of the last five years, we have concluded that it’s all flowers in comparison with the thorns that our predecessors and mentors who lived in the Lavra in the years of the Khrushchev persecutions of the 1950s-1960s endured. And the Lord allowed for each of us to be tested in our faith, to see how zealously we labor in God as we fulfill our monastic vows.
—What is the situation and mood today?
—As you can see, today the situation has changed somewhat; our detractors have, as they say, lost some steam, and a bit of a lull has come. But what will happen next—God knows, and He is our hope. We think about the worst, hope for the best, and for everything we thank the Lord…
We understood that if the former leader of the country had won a second term, he would have cracked down on us. But the Lord heard the people’s prayers and sighs, and He has given us the opportunity to appreciate what we have. Regarding the new leader of the country and his attitude to the canonical Church, it’s too early to say anything for sure. The new guarantor of the constitution himself declared the inadmissibility of interfering in the life of the Church, although his advisers express the complete opposite opinion: For example, they talk about the need to change the name of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and take out political labels from old portfolios again…
You know, the Church of Christ will never be left alone, because it testifies that the world lies in evil. The fallen world can’t endure it. As Holy Scripture says: And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ (1 Jn. 5:19-20).
Holy Dormition-Pochaev Lavra
—Vladyka, the Lavra services have special prayers for peace in Ukraine, and the brothers pray for peace again even after meals. It is known that at the beginning of the year, buses full of raiders arrived at the walls of the Lavra, and there were also representatives of the Uniates who were eager to capture the Pochaev Lavra. But it was as if some force would not allow them in, and all their “initiatives” failed…
—Indeed, prayer is a great power. The Holy Fathers write about it, and we are convinced of it. After all, prayer never ceases in the Lavra even for a minute. We read the unceasing Psalter (every brother takes turns praying one hour at night), akathists are read ceaselessly, the brothers pray in their cells after the evening services and Vigils, and late in the evening, closer to midnight, there is a cross procession with icons and the Cross of the Lord, going around the monastery… The Heavenly powers protect us. History remembers how at the time of persecution, St. Job of Pochaev himself appeared, and how the frescoes of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, which they tried to close, were suddenly renewed and brightened before the eyes of the Khrushchev persecutors.
Such “Right Sector” leaflets were hung on the walls of the Pochaev Lavra and at churches of the canonical Church throughout Ukraine —Yes, the older Lavra residents told us journalists about it at the time…
—At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Church was doomed to destruction. Remember from history the godless “five-year plans” and repressions, when the Church was supposed to be wiped from the face of the Earth. And what happened? World War II began, and for the first time, Stalin addressed the people with the words, “brothers and sisters,” and not “comrades.” They started opening the churches, and priests and hierarchs and laity started returning from the prisons and camps. After all, the persecutors are not at war with us. Although we are monks and believers, we are simple and weak people, and it’s no labor to destroy us. But to fight against God and His Church means to gather coals on your own head. And we see how the persecutors of every age have ended their lives ingloriously, starting with Nero of Rome and ending with the cogs in the machine of the godless repressions of the twentieth century. For the Lord is both in power and in truth, and the prayerful sighing of the people of God does not go without His attention. We thank God for trials and we see that the Lord hears us and gives us more time for repentance, to realize that to which we are called. Every minute lived rightly is joyful for us, because it is lived in repentance… Because it renews and purifies us and prepares us for eternity.
When fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine, nationalist radicals started hanging leaflets calling for churches to be taken from the “aggressor Church.” It got to the point where the Security Service was searching for live ammunition in boxes in the basement of the cathedral in Sumy. Someone imagined they were storing ammunition there. In reality, it was candle stubs. Some suspicious persons were constantly coming to the Lavra, examining something. Then it turned out that the provocateurs tried to place weapons and hand grenades, to “prove” the monks were participating in the war and then organize the seizure of the Lavra. Glory to God, we managed to find the provocation in time and call the police and Security Service. Then we put guards around the Lavra to prevent such provocations. The Lord averted the enemies of the Church and protected us, and the invaders were put to shame. We can say that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church experienced true persecution from 2014 to 2019.
—There’s an analogy in the history of the Pochaev Lavra, when in 1675 a 50,000-strong band of Turks fled in fear when the arrows fired at the Lavra turned back towards them…
—You know, this historical fact has real confirmation. In Pochaev, there are still descendants of those Turkish soldiers, who, having seen this miracle, adopted Christianity and stayed here to live. And all these modern phenomena, with ardent attacks on the Church of God, with evil “tomoses,” do not surprise the faithful. Everyone knows the words of the apostle that the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (cf. 1 Pt. 5:8). He doesn’t need material values and riches; he needs to attack the Church, its canonical structure, and to destroy the correct union of man with God.
Miraculous deliverance of Pochaev Lavra from the invasion of the Turks, August 5, 1675. 19th century lithograph
In the Patericon we read how one saint was walking and saw a demon sitting on a perch, nonchalantly waving his paws, and when the saint asked why he was sitting so idly, he answered that he had already turned enemies against the monastery of God and now he was resting. That’s how it was with us: Our enemies wanted to break the union of man with God, to harm the Church, first in monasteries such as the Kiev Caves, Svyatogorsk, and Pochaev Lavras, and other monasteries of Ukraine. Glory to God, we have more than 200 of them… All sorts of attacks were arranged against the monasteries and churches of the UOC.
—The schismatics have practically no monasteries. They give their official number, but only two or three people live in them, in the best-case scenario. Why is that, Vladyka?
—Because someone who has decided to dedicate himself to the monastic podvig will not succumb to the tricks of the schismatics. He feels with his heart where there is grace and the truth of God and where not. The schismatics do not have it, and the near-complete absence of monasticism is testimony to this…
Therefore, individual and well-known politicians, understanding this, looked for ways to “prove” the opposite, proposing to take the monasteries and prove “truth is on our side.” And through the Ministry of Culture, through attempts to cancel our contracts with the state for the leasing of the land and property, and through regional administrations, they tried to disarm us. But the Lord saved us. And as you correctly noted, the arrows they shot at the Lavra turned back against them. The political career of the enemies of the Church collapsed in disgrace.
—Vladyka, we see how a new schism is gathering strength. We see how the political factor is taking root in the relations between Local Churches. Take for example, the recognition of the “OCU” by two Patriarchates…
—I can say at once that these declarations do not completely express the common position of these Churches. In personal contact, in correspondence, in the declarations of a whole number of Greek hierarchs and many Athonite monastics, there are diametrically opposed opinions.
Let us recall the Acts of the Apostles, when the apostles were arrested, and the respected doctor of the law Gamaliel said in the Sanhedrin: Leave these people alone, for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought (Acts 5:38). Or let’s recall the events of a century ago. The Bolsheviks promoted the establishment of the schismatic “Living Church,” and the Patriarchate of Constantinople not only recognized this fake church, but condemned the Patriarch-Confessor Tikhon as “bringing confusion” into Church life. Representatives from the Alexandrian and Jerusalem Patriarchates also concelebrated with the Renovationists. It’s a sad page, but it’s a fact. And where are the Renovationists now? Their work was “of men,” not of God, and it came to nought in a few years. And so today. We believe truth will prevail.
—The OCU people are again inventing some “historical proofs,” circulating them in the media, and are simply engaged in fundamental falsification.
—If the truth were on the side of the schismatics and their works, their words and actions would breathe love; they would act according to the laws of Divine Truth and the laws prescribed by the Holy Spirit and the holy Apostles. And there would be love and mutual understanding among them.
The arrival of the cross procession from the Kamenets-Podolsk Diocese to the Pochaev Lavra, August 25, 2019
But we see the opposite—aggression, and they are again schisming amongst themselves. This is obvious; it’s happening before the whole world. I don’t think the prelates of the other Local Churches aren’t seeing and understanding this. It’s hard to admit mistakes, but we have to. In one of his homilies, Metropolitan Vladimir (Sabodan) of bright memory, I think in his homily for the Sunday of the Last Judgment, said that in the end times the Church will become the subject of hatred and divisions. Perhaps such times are just around the corner.
—His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry calls all of us to unity, to steadfastness in faith, to the personal responsibility of every Christian for the fate of the Church, to worthily pass the tests of time.
—Quite true. We have to understand that every trial is a kind of test for the preservation of our faith. And every Christian has to take this test and get the appropriate score. It will become clear whether we were faithful to Christ, whether we were with Him or we wavered, were afraid, or followed the course of the world’s tempests and storms. But the Lord is with us, as the captain of this ship—the Church of Christ. And it behooves us to remain faithful to the Church and its captain and all the people of God. And may the Lord help in this. For whoever labors for the Spirit will reap eternal life (cf. Gal. 6:8).
