Clergymen of three Local Churches visit Pochaev Lavra

The clerics of the three Local Churches met with the abbot of the Pochaev Lavra. Photo: Pochaev Lavra

On June 9, 2019, on the Day of Memory of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, representatives of the Cyprian, Serbian and Polish Churches celebrated a joint Liturgy with the brethren of the Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra, the site of the monastery reports.

“During the celebration of the Holy Liturgy, the Gospel of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian is read, namely, chapter 17, in which the prayer of our Savior to the Heavenly Father is cited. In particular, the Lord asks the Father to preserve the flock of Christ in such a unity that exists between God the Father and God the Son.

And now, as if attracted by the grace-filled power of this prayer, clergymen, who are representatives of the three Local Orthodox Churches – Cyprus, Serbian and Polish – visited the Lavra for the festive divine service. Fathers took part in the all-night vigil and served the Divine Liturgies together with the brothers of the Pochaev Lavra,” the brethren wrote.

The Vicar of the Lavra, Metropolitan Vladimir of Pochaev, offered the guests a fraternal meal, during which they talked about the current situation being faced by the UOC.

The brethren report that during the conversation complete mutual understanding was reached between Metropolitan Vladimir and representatives of the Local Churches regarding issues related to church schism.

Archimandrite Nectarios (Cyprus Orthodox Church) assured His Eminence of brotherhood and unity between the Churches and also expressed the opinion that those Christians who were in a split but sincerely sought the truth, will eventually return to the canonical Church.

The Pochaev abbot wished everyone to have the same firm faith and to practice it with the same courage as 318 Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council. He recalled that St. Arseny the Great had eyelashes falling out of constant crying about sins, but he was afraid of death, too. However, the split initiators are so blinded in their satanic pride that they have neither the fear of death nor the fear of the judgment of God.

In memory of their stay and ministry in the Pochaev Lavra, Vladyka gifted the guests with icons of the Venerable Wonderworkers of Pochaev Job and Amphilochius and invited the representatives to come again to the Pochaev Monastery.

As the UOJ reported, earlier the secretary of Tamasos Diocese of the Cyprus Orthodox Church, Archimandrite Nectarios (Bakopoulos), accompanied by the Vice-Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the UOC Archpriest Nikolai Danilevich, visited the parishes of Ternopol Epachy affected by church raiding.

During the visit, the clerics visited three communities in the villages of Matveyevka, Malye Dederkali and Liudvishche of Shumsk district. The main purpose of the visit of the clergyman is to support canonical communities in difficult conditions.

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