UOC-MP to hold monasticism Congress in Pochaev: 310 Vicars from all over Ukraine will appeal to the authorities

As reported by the UOC MP Information Center, Metropolitan Pavlo, Head of the Synodal Department for Monasteries, Vicar of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, noted that the Vicars (hegumens) and Abbesses of monasteries plan to draw up an appeal to the Ukrainian authorities.

"The Congress of monks will be held with the blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy. The decision to hold it was made at a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Congress will address pressing internal issues. Appeals to the president, prime minister, and interior minister will also be adopted," Metropolitan Pavlo said.

The head of the Department for monasteries said that the appeals "will touch upon issues of violation of the Constitution and the operation of anti-church laws."

"We pray that the Lord will stop evil, war so that people see each other as a brother, not an enemy. A bad citizen of Earth will never be a good citizen of Heaven. We must understand all this and live according to the Gospel and the Constitution. We appeal to the minister of justice because laws are ignored, new monasteries that are being founded are not registered, new vicars and abbesses are not registered. There is no re-registration - the monastery is paralyzed: it cannot conduct financial affairs, accounts are blocked. Let's turn to Minister Avakov, so that when there are encroachments of some young people, bandits (on monasteries - ed.), they help us in the troubles that exist in our society. We appeal to the prime minister because tariffs are being raised. This is illegal in different regions. In some regions, electricity and gas are turned off. We request that we are set the tariffs similar to those the population pays, and not as economic structures that have a profit. We are a non-profit organization, we pray and ask God for mercy for our country," Metropolitan Pavlo said.

The Vicar of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra has also said that Congress will raise the issue of training monks in educational spiritual institutions, moving from monastery to monastery, restoring the statutory laws on the time spent as a novice, as well as in terms of developing educational activities.

The event will be attended by 310 Vicars (hegumens) and abbots of monasteries from all over Ukraine. The Vicar of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra spoke about the essence of monasticism and its significance.