Sviatogorsk Lavra abbot on shelling: It’s madness to bomb civilians

The abbot of the Sviatogorsk Lavra, Metropolitan Arseniy, in his video message called madness the shelling of the monastery, which does not and cannot have any military facilities.

The bishop of the UOC said that the Assumption Cathedral of the monastery, as well as the monastery hotel, which accommodates 520 refugees from Kharkiv and Izium, including 200 children, were damaged as a result of the bomb fall. Among them are those wounded by glass fragments.

“At the time of the airstrike, there were about 10,000 civilians living in Sviatogorsk along with the refugees. There were no military units on the territory of Sviatogorsk and the Sviatogorsk Lavra," Metropolitan Arseniy stressed. “In other words, the attack hit a peaceful city and one of Ukraine's three Orthodox shrines – the Holy Dormition Sviatogorsk Lavra.”

The bishop called it madness "to make airstrikes on civilians and people who fled from the war because of the bombing." Metropolitan Arseniy said that medical assistance had been provided to the wounded. However, according to the information he has, a second airstrike is being prepared.

“I as the abbot of the Holy Dormition Sviatogorsk Lavra, urge everyone on whom it depends to stop this madness, the bombing, the strikes on absolutely peaceful cities,” the metropolitan said.

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