MOSCOW: Russia is demanding the immediate release from round-the-clock house arrest of Metropolitan Pavel, the canonical Ukrainian Orthod...
MOSCOW: Russia is demanding the immediate release from round-the-clock house arrest of Metropolitan Pavel, the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) vicar of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra monastery, and that the senior clergymen be provided with medical help, Gennady Askaldovich, the Russian foreign minister’s envoy for cooperation in ensuring the right to freedom of religion and ambassador-at-large, said in a statement released on Wednesday.
"We are deeply concerned about Metropolitan Pavel, who, according to the available information, is under round-the-clock house arrest and wearing an electronic ankle bracelet. His personage is acquiring among people of goodwill the image of a martyr for the Orthodox faith. This is why [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky’s words declaring that Ukraine is a territory offering the widest possible religious freedom is the height of cynicism. We demand the immediate release of Metropolitan Pavel and that he be provided with appropriate medical assistance," the document stressed.
According to the diplomat, with these actions the Kiev regime is seeking to augment its policy of moral terror against citizens and believers during the Lenten period. "The regime [of Ukrainian President] Vladimir Zelensky is persistently seeking to effect a decisive defeat of the Orthodox faith in Ukraine," Askaldovich pointed out. "This fact was cynically confirmed by Mikhail Podolyak, advisor to the head of Zelensky’s office, who said that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church should have been ‘purged’ immediately after the start of Russia’s special military operation. All these politicos thought that after ‘purging’ [Ukraine’s] education, culture, and media, they could then easily have their way in the religious realm. But, they have miscalculated. Fortitude and the strength of faith proved stronger than the fear of repression. We admire the courage and fortitude of the supporters of the true Orthodox faith in Ukraine, led by Metropolitan Pavel, who are selflessly defending their monastery."
On April 1, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) brought charges against Metropolitan Pavel, the Lavra’s vicar, for allegedly inciting religious hatred and pro-Russian actions. The court put him under round-the-clock house arrest for 60 days. Metropolitan Pavel must remain under arrest with an electronic ankle bracelet in the Kiev Region far away from the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra monastery.
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