We traveled to Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra in 2015 and walked among the relics of the saintly dead.
Now the Ukrainian government, in a further destruction of Christianity in the nation, is disturbing ancient relics of priests and saints to ‘examine’ them. For what reason they need to be examined, nobody knows.
Renowned Greek theologian, canonist, and presbyter Anastasios Gotsopoulos has issued a public appeal to the Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches concerning the situation at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, where Ukrainian authorities have initiated the examination of holy relics. The priest’s message was published by UOJ in Greece, reported the Union of Orthodox Journalists.
In his emotional appeal, Fr. Anastasios – rector of the Church of St. Nicholas in Patras – urged hierarchs to “raise a voice of denunciation and protest to stop the desecration of the holy sites of the Orthodox Church.”
He noted that on March 28, a commission appointed by Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture, accompanied by law enforcement, broke the locks of the Near and Far Caves of the Lavra to conduct “research” on the relics of the Pechersk saints.
“The composition of the commission clearly shows the regime’s disregard for the sanctity,” Gotsopoulos stated, pointing out that the commission includes anatomists, biologists, and even a veterinarian – but not a single representative of the Church.
Hellbound and Down 