Friends,
As you may have heard, or perhaps read about on the internet, Metropolitan Pavel of Vyshgorod and Chernobyl, the Abbot of the Kiev Caves Monastery has been detained by the Ukrainian government. As noted in the communique from the Bishop’s Conference in Moscow on Tuesday, the Ukrainian government is using the same exact tactics with Metropolitan Pavel as they did during the Bolshevik Revolution. Not only are they evicting the monastics from the Kiev Caves (last done by the Bolsheviks), but they are interrogating Metropolitan Pavel daily and have set his bail at the astronomical sum of $900,000. This is much more than those who commit murder or other heinous crimes in Ukraine.
Metropolitan Pavel is a true confessor for the Orthodox faith in our times, for he suffers exactly because he will not betray his brother monastics to the machinations of the Godless regime, nor will he join the schismatic “Church” that the regime there is promoting. Again – think of the case of the Bolshevik “Living Church” promulgated immediately after the Revolution. It is disturbing to see history repeat itself so precisely, just as it is somewhat disappointing to see the lack of creativity in the present persecutors of the Church. But, since it worked once, perhaps they are right to try it again.
Metropolitan Onuphry mentioned to me on my last visit to Kiev that perhaps they would all become confessors and martyrs. He wasn’t joking when he said that. Perhaps he foresaw what is happening now. It is hard to understand the words of a saint sometimes, so I only report these here – I cannot parse them.
What we can say is this: a new round of persecution has begun against God’s Church. In a way this is almost always true, and today’s persecution in Ukraine is just better covered by the press than the last decades of persecution in Africa and the Middle East. Nonetheless, we must act on what we know, and we know that Metropolitan Pavel is suffering for the Faith. Thus, beginning this Sunday, we will include a petition for Metropolitan Pavel’s steadfastness in the face of the persecutors, and his speedy release, at the Divine Liturgy at STV.
Read Metropolitan Pavel’s Address to his Monastic Brothers from Prison
Read the Reply of the Monastics of the Kiev Caves to Metropolitan Pavel
Many may not remember the dedication of the Book “Russia’s Catacomb Saints” by Ivan Andreev (translated by Fr. Seraphim Rose) from 1982. It is out of print now, which is too bad, because it would be good for all of us to read this book in light of the present persecution in Ukraine. Professor Andreev defined “Russia” as the former Russian Empire. Here is the dedication:
This book is dedicated to the Christian Martyrs
TODAY IN RUSSIA
TOMORROW IN AMERICA
If such an open persecution of Orthodox Christianity can happen in Ukraine, which is essentially a vassal state of the Western Powers, then why do we think it could not happen here in the West? If we want to assure that the dedication above will come true we should be as quiet as possible about Metropolitan Pavel’s unjust detention. If we want to fight for our faith, then we should not be quiet at all. I will be writing the entire Michigan Congressional Delegation pointing out the evil that is being perpetrated in Ukraine against God’s Church. I do not insist that you do likewise, but you are welcome to do so if you wish. But I do much more strongly recommend this for all: pray for Metropolitan Pavel. We prayed daily for those confessing their faith in the Soviet Union. This is not at all different than that, except this persecution is taking place in a “democracy” with the financial backing of the United States and our allies. If we are paying for this persecution with out tax dollars, then it seems to me that we have a moral obligation to, at the very least, pray that this evil will cease at the earliest possible time, and that peace will come quickly to the internecine conflict that is the Ukrainian war.
Asking Your Prayers,
Fr. Gregory
