Metropolitan Naum of Ruse has strongly condemned the recent attack on the historic Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Monastery, expressing deep sorrow and concern over the escalating violence in Ukraine and its impact on religious and cultural heritage.
In an official statement, the Bulgarian hierarch described the ongoing military actions in Kyiv as increasingly taking on “dimensions bordering on barbarism,” noting that they threaten not only human lives but also invaluable spiritual and cultural treasures.
Metropolitan Naum highlighted the special significance of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, one of the most renowned centers of Orthodox monasticism and a UNESCO World Heritage site. He emphasized that for Orthodox Christians, including the Bulgarian people, the monastery forms part of the common spiritual heritage of Orthodoxy, rooted in the legacy of Saints Cyril and Methodius and their disciples.
The Metropolitan lamented what he called a “senseless and irrational aggression” that destroys cultural and historical heritage in the name of human pride, warning that while those responsible may fade into historical obscurity, the wounds inflicted upon sacred sites will remain in the memory of future generations.
Metropolitan Naum also expressed his support for the position of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who recently condemned the attack on the Lavra, stating that no reasonable person could justify such a destructive assault on a sacred pilgrimage site and a monument of global cultural significance.
Calling for the protection of churches, monasteries, and cultural monuments throughout Ukraine, Metropolitan Naum stressed that these places are meant to be centers of prayer, peace, and reconciliation, not targets of destruction.
Concluding his statement, he offered prayers for all those suffering as a result of the conflict and asked Christ to preserve the holy sites from further damage and to grant the peoples of the region “a spirit of peace, wisdom, and brotherly love.”
Source: Patriarchate of Bulgaria
