In a particularly important development regarding the formation of the new regime for the Monastery of the Lavra in Kyiv, Archimandrite Abraham joined the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine, with Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv appointing him Abbot of the Monastery.
As stated on the official website of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Archimandrite Abraham appealed to Metropolitan Epifaniy to accept him in the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
The Metropolitan of Kyiv accepted his request and blessed Archimandrite Abraham to perform his duties as Abbot of the Monastery, under the jurisdiction of the Autocephalous Church.
The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) also appealed to the government to provide for the use of the Lavra sites for the accommodation of the monks and their activities.
He expressed the hope that the government would help protect the Abbot and the Monastery from possible provocations by supporters of the Moscow Patriarchate.
As abbot of the Lavra Monastery, Fr. Abraham called on the brotherhood of the Monastery not to abandon the Lavra of Kyiv.
He stressed that Metropolitan Paul (Lebid) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) is the one who created the sad situation in which the Church in question now finds itself. Instead of finding ways to unite, the UOC was involved in inciting hostility, Abraham noted.
He sent a message (with video) to the monks in Lavra, where he pointed out that lately everyone feels pain and despair because of what is taking place in the Monastery.
“They are still trying to convince us that the only reason for these events is the attitude of the state. However, it should be honestly recognized that our hitherto Abbot and clergyman in the person of the Metropolitan and the Synod step by step formed the sad situation in which we found ourselves.”
Instead of dialogue – closedness and threats. Instead of realizing the need to truthfully, sincerely and definitively break the subordination to Moscow, which is waging war against us – vague and half-hearted decisions and statements that everyone interprets as they wish. Instead of searching for ways to unite the Orthodox and reconcile, it is incitement to hostility and confrontation.”
Archimandrite Abraham emphasizes that “In what is happening, I see the action of the Providence of God and the motivation for all of us to recognize the new canonical reality of the existence in Ukraine of the Local Orthodox Church, which is granted the Tomos of autocephaly, which has the recognition of the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Local Churches, which has a canonically elected Primate of His Beatitude Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Epiphany, the Holy Archimandrite of the Pechersk Lavra.
I myself voluntarily made this difficult, but in my opinion – the only correct and canonically justified decision. His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphaniy, at my request, approved me among the brotherhood of the Lavra as part of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” said Archimandrite Abraham.
He calls on the brotherhood of the Lavra to remain in the Monastery, as a member of the local Orthodox Church of Ukraine, under the omophorion of Metropolitan Epiphaniy.
“I am ready to communicate with you and strive to work together with you to renew our monastery as a real monastery and a place of spiritual renewal for monks and all the faithful.”
