This post was originally published on this site

His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy
Metropolitan of Kyiv and All
Ukraineвулиця Лаврська, 15
Київ, 01015 UKRAINE

Your Beatitude, dear brother and concelebrant in the Lord’s Mysteries,

Christ is in our midst!

It is with profound sorrow that I learned of the recent attack on the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and the danger and suffering inflicted upon this sacred monastery, which is sacred to all Orthodox Christians throughout the world.

On behalf of the clergy, monastics, and faithful of the Orthodox Church in America, I extend to Your Beatitude, to the flock entrusted to your pastoral care, and to all the people of Ukraine, our heartfelt prayers and fraternal support. The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is one of the great spiritual treasures of the Orthodox world, sanctified by the prayers and witness of countless saints. Any act of violence directed against such a holy place is a cause of grief and indignation for Orthodox Christians everywhere.

Since the outbreak of this devastating war, the Orthodox Church in America has consistently prayed and labored for peace, condemning violence, bloodshed, and the suffering inflicted upon innocent people. We condemn the continued military attacks of the Russian Federation upon the sovereign territory of Ukraine, which have brought immeasurable suffering to countless innocent people and have now further endangered and damaged the sacred Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra itself. We pray that these hostilities may cease without delay and that a just and lasting peace may soon be restored.

Your Beatitude, we know the great weight you carry in shepherding your beloved flock through this time of pain, beset by sorrows on every side. Be assured that you are not forgotten in our prayers. May the saints whose relics rest in the Caves of Kyiv intercede for your suffering people, and may the God of all consolation grant peace speedily to His afflicted servants, “for the peace of the whole world, for the welfare of the holy churches of God, and for the union of all.”

With fraternal love in Christ,

+TIKHON
Archbishop of Washington
Metropolitan of All America and Canada