The head of the Synodal Office of Information and Education of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), Metropolitan Clement of Nizhny and Pryluky, made a statement of strong symbolic significance when commenting on the damage sustained by the historic Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God in the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.
The hierarch referred to the deep pain caused by the war in Ukraine, emphasising that the destruction of sacred sites forms part of a wider national tragedy. He also reiterated the Church’s commitment to peace.
The statement reads as follows:
“The wounds of the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God are a tragedy for the Ukrainian people, who have been wounded by war,” said Metropolitan Clement of Nizhny and Pryluky, head of the Synodal Office of Information and Education of the UOC.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church firmly condemns Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, which has resulted in thousands of lives being lost and sacred places being destroyed. God does not bless wars. He offered Himself as a sacrifice for humanity to grant it eternal life.
Above all, the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra is an ancient place of prayer and a centre of unique divine presence in the world. The monks of the Lavra rebuilt it with great effort and later revived it from the brink of destruction caused by Soviet rule. When it was struck under fire, it was not merely a building that was damaged, but a sacred site.
The wounds suffered by the Cathedral of the Dormition this night reflect the profound tragedy of the Ukrainian people as a whole, who are likewise wounded by a war that has long since exceeded every moral boundary. Nevertheless, we believe that what has been destroyed will be rebuilt and that, with God’s help, our people will endure these trials as well. The tragedy at the Lavra calls on all Christians to intensify their prayers for an immediate end to the madness of war, which is unjustifiable.
