Damascus, March 28, 2023
His Beatitude Patriarch John and the Patriarchate of Antioch offer continuous prayers for the much-suffering Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
In a letter to His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry, the primate of the UOC, the Antiochian primate assured him that, “We extend our hand to you at this dark hour: you and your flock are in our constant prayers.”
His statement comes as the state is planning to evict the brethren of the Kiev Caves Lavra tomorrow.
Pat. John’s statement reads in full:
Your Beatitude Onuphry Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine,
Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church,
With joyful sorrow, we embrace you in the Lord during these days of the Great Fast, as we prepare for our Lord’s Death and Resurrection. We write to you at this difficult moment in the history of the venerable Ukrainian Orthodox Church, a moment that calls to mind the words of the Holy Apostle Paul: “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).
With great pain of heart, we observe from afar the persecution that you and your holy Church are enduring for the sake of Christ. While we are physically a long distance away from you, we are near to you in spirit, and we extend our hand to you at this dark hour: you and your flock are in our constant prayers as we implore the Lord for the quick cessation of this tragic war and the end of all threats to your holy Church.
May the Lord grant you wisdom and strength to endure, “for he that shall endure to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 24:13).
His Eminence Metropolitan Isaak of Germany and Central Europe of the Antiochian Patriarchate also issued a statement on March 23 emphasizing the importance of the Kiev Caves Lavra and the Church’s central role in rebuilding it after communism.
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