Bulgarian priest condemns Church’s silence over murder of Sviatohirsk monk

Priest Vladimir Doychev. Photo: spzh.bg

Bulgarian Orthodox priest Economos (Archpriest) Vladimir Doychev condemned the silence of Church bodies over the murder of Monk Varsonofy at the Sviatohirsk Lavra during a sermon at a church service. The text of the sermon was published by UOJ-Bulgaria.

The priest stressed that despite the Church’s constant calls to emulate the example of the ancient martyrs, no official Church body has issued a statement on the death of a modern-day confessor. According to him, this silence is rooted not in theological but in political considerations, as the issue has become “inconvenient” amid the war.

Fr. Vladimir compared such conduct to Pharisaism, noting that the true Church cannot remain silent when its children give their lives for confessing Christ.

In conclusion, Fr. Vladimir Doychev called on the faithful to demand that their own Church remain true to what it is – to have the courage to call martyrdom martyrdom rather than adapt the Church’s position to the political circumstances of the moment.

As the UOJ reported, an Antiochian hierarch said the murder at the Sviatohirsk Lavra must be solved. The attack on the monastery took place on August 23, 2026, leaving one monk dead and two residents of the monastery seriously wounded.

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