Pochaiv Lavra Calls for Prayer and Strict Fast Ahead of State Hearing to Ban UOC
As the government moves to outlaw the canonical Church’s central administration, one of Ukraine’s holiest monasteries urges the faithful to seek God’s mercy amid persecution.
POCHAIV — In a message that was posted on Oct. 12, 2025, the leadership of the Pochaiv Lavra appealed to the Orthodox faithful to participate in three days of prayer and fasting in the period leading up to a hearing on whether or not to ban the Kyiv Metropolia of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). The Kyiv Metropolia is the Church's administrative center.
As this hearing is scheduled for Oct. 30, 2025, the three days of prayer and strict fasting would last from this Tuesday through Thursday. Since we have arrived at the eve of this three-day period, UOJ-USA is reminding our readers of this opportunity to participate.
A hearing was initially scheduled for Sept. 30, 2025, but was postponed due to one of the judges falling ill.
On his Facebook page, Fr. Seraphim Holland, priest at St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church near Dallas, said the following:
I endorse this fast and I think we should all do it. Everybody can do it according to their strength. You should consider tomorrow, [Wednesday and Thursday] to be a strict fast day, at the very least. Some will have the strength to not eat until dinner time.
Whatever you are capable of doing, offer to the Lord. Basically, just consider Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday to be strict fasting days where you eat no meat or animal products or wine or oil or fish. And combine this with prayer for Ukraine. You can say an Akathist or a Canon or do what I will do, which is to pray the Jesus prayer a set number of times for Ukraine. This does not need to be complicated, just intense.
Whatever evils are happening in Ukraine and continue to happen are just a harbinger of more evils to come in other places. The church is being attacked and we must pray for the church.
The letter from the Lavra, as translated by Orthodox Christianity, is published in full below.
BROTHERS AND SISTERS!
In these days, when the holy Church is facing trials, the Spiritual Council of the Holy Dormition-Pochaiv Lavra rejoices to hold a strict fast and intensified prayer on October 28, 29, and 30.
The reason for this is a court hearing that will take place on October 30 regarding the cessation of activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which may affect the fate of our holy site as well.
We call upon all—brothers, pilgrims, and faithful children of the Church—to offer sincere prayer to the Lord, entreating His mercy and intercession.
May our common spiritual labor be a sacrifice that the Lord may strengthen and preserve His holy Church and our holy sites.
Previously, UOJ reported that, in response to inaccurate information being released by different media outlets about the recent raid of the Pochaiv Lavra on Oct. 8, 2025, the Lavra's official website had released an update to clarify details of the event.
