Metropolitan Arseniy of Sviatohirsk comments on shelling of the Lavra

Metropolitan Arseniy. Photo: screenshot of the Sviatohirsk Lavra YouTube channel

Metropolitan Arseniy of Sviatohirsk commented on the shelling of the Lavra, which occurred on October 11, 2023, during a sermon, as reported by the monastery's telegram channel.

He mentioned that according to the police and the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Lavra was fired upon using weapons with a point-blank range of 500 meters, and a maximum range of 900 meters.

Metropolitan Arseniy questioned the motivations behind such an attack, asking whether the assailant targeted 90-year-old women, children, women, and the infirm. He expressed disbelief at the audacity of the act, whether it was driven by madness, hatred for the Mother of God, or hatred for the people present at the Lavra.

He went on to emphasize that regardless of the assailant's nationality, their actions were an insane deed. Whether the perpetrator is an Orthodox Christian, a Catholic, a Protestant, a Muslim, an atheist, or a follower of any faith or belief, Metropolitan Arseny pointed out that the Lavra is home to people who are just like them: children, women, the elderly, and those who have sought refuge in the monastery from their destroyed homes and burned villages.

The shelling of the Lavra was reported earlier by the UOJ.

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