Posted on 01/22/2014 6:01:34 AM PST by don-o
Yesterday morning, monks from the Kiev-Caves Lavra Fr. Gabriel, Fr. Melchisedek, and Fr. Ephraim stood on Grushevsky Street in Kiev with a cross and icons, between the demonstrators and the Ukrainian special police force “Berkut”, and stopped the conflict. They entered the arena as peace-makers, and not in support of one side or the other.
Although they were invited to join the “people”, the fathers only prayed and sang the Paschal troparion: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life,” wrote the Ramensky deanery of Moscow on its facebook page. The conflict ceased.
As the website Pravoslavie v Ukraine (“Orthodoxy in the Ukraine”) learned, at around 9:00 a.m., clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church came to Grushevsky Street, placed themselves between the warring sides, and began to pray, calling both sides to stop their fighting and repent.
The monks have no intention of leaving until the situation has completely stabilized.
The clergymen are currently continuing their prayer on Grushevsky Street in shifts. Archimandrite Alipy (Svetlichny) wrote in his facebook page at 19:30 yesterday concerning the events:
“I just came home to change my clothes and warm myself. I am writing quickly. That is because at midnight I must return to the Maidan, which has turned all of its aggression to Grushevsky Street. From 14:00 I stood with the brothers of Desyatina Monastery at their prayer post. After 18:00 Fr. Victor, secretary of the diocese, and Fr. Giorgy, press secretary, arrived. They took my place. I am grateful to them for that, because my neck muscles stiffened.
You can’t even imagine how important it is for the clergy to stand there!
So many people came up to us (even people in masks!—secretly) and thanked us for standing there. They were surprised that we were from the Moscow Patriarchate [as opposed to the schismatic “Ukrainian Patriarchate”—ed.]. I will write quickly: my teeth are still chattering, but I have to go back.” Fr. Alipy planned to be there until 6:00 a.m. today.
The violence between the demonstrators and the special forces began on January 19, after the demonstrators made a failed attempt to break through the police cordon and enter the Supreme Rada building. Radical factions among the demonstrators began throwing Molotov cocktails at the police, who in turn took more violent measures against the demonstrators after hearing rumors that new Molotov cocktails contained liquid sodium.
If the monks are stopping the people they have taken a side despite their protestations otherwise
I confess that I would be more impressed if the three of them were facing both directions (2 facing one way, 1 facing the other). That would be a plea for peace.
Our clergy are, all too often, busy ‘reaching out’ to queers and Muslims to be concerned with Scriptural matters.
Yeah. They used their superpowers to physically stop them.
I wouldn't say that singing Christos Voskres or Jelici counts as “protestations” (a very bizarre choice of words). They are just trying to stop the violence. The protesters are still there. The police are still there. Neither side has been silenced.
. . . and I’m sure they stood there like that all the time. It’s a photograph, not a 3 hour video.
I very seriously doubt they remained facing one direction in one place, especially in light of the comment from the article, “ . . . calling both sides to stop their fighting and repent.”
I am pretty sure that impressing you is not the Fathers' motivation.
They’re facing the people causing the violence, Ukraine’s national socialist party.
ping
Why are the protesters— who are simply asking the regime to live up to earlier promises of meeting EU standards of governance— a “national socialist” party? Simply because they resist Russian chauvinism?
I would say they have taken a side against killing Ukrainians.
You don’t suppose they all stand stock-still, do you? You can’t from a single still photo tell how their shift their positions from time to time.
Are you speaking of the monks of the Kiev-Caves Lavra, or did you have somebody else in mind?
Ephesians 2:14
For he is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility.
The pro EU crowd is being funded by George Soros via his Open Society group.
Soros is extreme Communist Globalist.
With its bankrupt members, open door policy towards Muslims...why anyone wants to join the EU is scary
My understanding (notice the pseudo-cheap excuse) is that standing stock still and presenting a stoic, immovable appearance and behavior are a sign of strength in that part of the world. Mentally, it falls right in there with Russian Roulette and stare-down contests. If anyone with greater actual knowledge wishes to chime in, I’m willing to listen.
Pick most any clergyperson with affiliation to the World Council of Churches - those ClergyPersons.
Put some snipers in those trees and shoot anyone throwing a stone or a bomb.
Yeah! They need to confine themselves to dealing with us good people, not those nasty sinners.
Do I need a /sarc?
The Orthodox clergy in particular have a "stoic, immovable" style of liturgical training --- much less fluid than what you'll find in the West.
They could still turn from time to time (probably solemnly) to face first one group of belligerents, then the other.
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