SBU reports suspicion to abbot of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra
Metropolitan Pavel of Vyshhorod. Photo: a screenshot from the YouTube channel of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra
On April 1, 2023, 20 members of the Security Service of Ukraine came to Metropolitan Pavel (Lebed), the abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and handed him a suspicion.
According to the UOJ correspondent, they want to place Bishop Pavel under house arrest.
His subdeacons were expelled from the Metropolitan's chambers, and no one is allowed inside.
At 12:00, SBU officers are planning to interrogate the abbot of the Lavra.
As Metropolitan of Nizhyn and Priluky Clement told the UOJ, the SBU handed Metropolitan Pavel a suspicion under two articles of the Criminal Code at once: 161 (inciting inter-religious hatred) and 436 (justifying Russia's armed aggression). The head of the UOC Information and Education Department urges not to spread the speculation that has already been received by the media.
Metropolitan Pavel of Vyshhorod and Chornobyl warned the Кeserve against attempts to evict the monks without trial.
The UOJ is broadcasting the developments from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra on its Telegram channel.
Read also
32 Catechumens Baptized at St. John of Shanghai Mission Center in Uganda
Local faithful receive sacraments after months of preparation.
Armenian PM Says Security Ordered Clergy Not to Mention Catholicos at Services He Attends
Pashinyan cites security protocols as Church leadership denounces practice as a serious violation.
Spots Open at New Gracanica's Winter Youth Retreat
Limited spots available for high-school participants, with the retreat taking place Dec. 26-30, 2025
Met. Saba: The Church Offers Authentic Masculinity and Femininity
Antiochian hierarch urges deeper study of conversion trends, stressing that Orthodoxy offers complementarity — not competition — between men and women.
GOARCH Sets 2026 Clergy-Laity Congress for Cleveland
GOARCH will convene its 2026 Clergy-Laity Congress in Cleveland, highlighting parish renewal under the theme “Rise and Build,” alongside major Philoptochos and young-adult gatherings.
Monastic Vocations Gathering Draws Young Men to St. Peter's Monastery
Visit from Hilandar abbot highlights growing interest in Orthodox monastic life in America.