“When the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra suffers, all Orthodoxy suffers,” – Bulgarian priest on the desecration of relics

A Bulgarian priest from the city of Shumen, Fr. Vasil Vasilev, rector of the Church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, commented in Bulgaria on the footage of manipulations with the relics of the saints in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. According to him, the events in the Lavra resemble the persecutions of the godless regime of the past, when they tried to destroy faith in Christ and erase the light of Orthodoxy. His words were published by the UOJ in Bulgaria.

“My heart cannot remain indifferent in the face of the desecration of relics, the expulsion of monks, the mocking treatment of holy objects. This is not just an attack against a single monastery or Church – this is a blow against the entire people of Christ. When the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra suffers, all Orthodoxy suffers,” the priest said.

Fr. Vasil emphasized that today is a time not only for prayer but also for a vigilant conscience. “It is impossible to remain silent when God’s holy objects are desecrated. It is impossible to accept it when God’s house is turned into an arena of godlessness. Just as our forefathers endured persecutions, and Bulgarian saints and martyrs confessed their faith even before death, so we today are obliged to be steadfast in confessing the truth,” he said.

The priest called on Orthodox Christians to offer a common prayer for their brothers and sisters in Ukraine, for the monks of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, and for all those who preserve Christ’s truth despite suffering. “Let us not be afraid – the Lord is our strength, the Most Holy Mother of God is our protection, and the saints are our heavenly intercessors,” Fr. Vasil stressed.

He also reminded that history testifies to the steadfastness of the Church in the face of enemies: “Lord, strengthen Your suffering Church, preserve the monks who confess Your name, and enlighten those who commit lawlessness. Grant us peace and unity in Orthodoxy, so that we may endure together to the end,” the priest concluded.

It should also be recalled that the rector of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Vake (Tbilisi), Fr. Shalva Kekelia, commented on the events in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, where employees of the reserve removed reliquaries with the relics of the Pechersk saints from the caves and performed certain actions with them, which the priest considers unacceptable. He emphasized that “mockery of icons and relics is never forgiven.”