"Padre Mercedes": Italian media about the Lavra vicar, Pavlo Lebid
This was announced in the social network by Doctor of philosophy and theologian Cyril Hovorun.
He shared a quote from the newspaper.
"Pavlo Lebid, or Pasha Mercedes, vicario del monastero delle grot". They gave him this title in the article called “Padre Mercedes e gli altri: gli ucraini e la caccia alle spie fra gli ortodossi (“father Mercedes” and others: Ukrainians and the hunt for spies among the Orthodox). Ths the hierarch of Vyshgorod received international recognition. I wouldn't say it's undeserved," Hovorun summed up.
Recall that for his "love of expensive cars", he was given the nickname "Pasha-Mercedes". When in 2011, the then journalist of the TV channel "1+1" Mykhailo Tkach tried to shoot a story about Metropolitan Pavel's Mercedes and the construction of a cafe on the territory of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, Vladyka forbade journalists to shoot on the territory of the monastery and threatened to beat the camera. Also, in response to a question about the car and construction, Pavlo resorted to insulting journalists, calling them "mentally ill" and "scoundrels", threatening them with God's judgment.
On July 28, 2015, his driver driving a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, refused to comply with the order of a police officer in Kyiv after violating traffic rules. He brazenly told the police officer who demanded that the driver show his driver's license: "If I allow it, you will see it. If I don't allow it, you won't."
