Lover of luxury was offered to fork out

Viceroy of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra Bishop-Oligarch Pavel Lebida fell into a pre-trial detention center-but there is a chance to go on a mockery bail to almost a million dollars

The Solomensky District Court of Kyiv crossed the unspoken red line in the evening of July 14 in the relations of the Ukrainian state with the country's largest religious organization - the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC -MP). Although the hierarchs of this church were repeatedly suspected of crimes related to the illness of the Ukrainian authorities in the conditions of martial law, they were appointed soft preventive measures that were not related to the detention. The governor of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra (according to the UOC-MP) Metropolitan Pavel (Lida) was the first bishop in the history of independent Ukraine to be sent to the pre-trial detention center-until August 14.

However, the court offered him an alternative option - making a pledge in the amount of about 33 million hryvnias (more than 900 thousand dollars). About this amount, the suburban mansion of Paul near Kiev is estimated, where from April 1 he was serving house arrest. In general, Paul, known for his luxurious fleet (the nickname of Lebia in the Ukrainian media-Pasha Mercedes), a hotel-restaurant business in the laurel and expensive mansions, is considered the richest bishop of Ukraine-a real church oligarch.

The riddles of the biography

Former deputy from the Party of Regions Yanukovych, Pavel in 2014 chose the path of confrontation with the new Ukrainian authorities. His actions and statements were so shocking that the power was simply lost, and Paul was strengthened that such tactics were true. He considered the power to be weak and ineffective, believed in his connection with Moscow and Ukrainian oligarchs. I was not shy to admit the seizure of state property: "We just selected the buildings, and I do not hide it." In addition, 36 objects on the territory of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra (UNESCO World Heritage Monument!) Pavel built without coordination with the authorities, sometimes at the cost of demolition of dilapidated old buildings. Now the investigation is focused on Paul’s “political crimes - justification of aggression, denying the territorial integrity of Ukraine, inciting inter -religious enmity.

But as the Ukrainian state returns the objects of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra (this process has been going on from March), the question will certainly arise about the economic crimes committed there over 30 years of the governorship of Paul.

The main mystery of the biography of the 62-year-old hierarch-as in 1994 at the age of 31, being the rector of the rural church in the Volyn region, bypassing all the intermediate career steps and bypassing influential Kyiv archimandrites, he was able to become the governor of the largest, rich and significant monastery of Ukraine.

The key to this riddle can be hidden in the story with the disappeared iconostasis of the ancient Assumption Temple of the village of Nenkinichi, where then the priest Peter (this is his worldly name) was the rector. It is assumed that the iconostasis was created by the famous master of Ukrainian Baroque Job Kokocevich. The lokad dismantled the iconostasis under the pretext of repairing the temple, and when in the early 90s control over the monuments by the state weakened, and the black antiques market bloomed, replaced with a remake. If we assume that the work of Job Koklevich got to the black market, then the funds proceeds from them could well have been enough to acquire the position of the governor of the laurel. Although this is an assumption, they did not find traces from the artifact, but the career of Floata went to a vertical take -off.

In better times, the daily revenue of the laurel and dozens of its enterprises reached a million hryvnias. The governor Pavel quickly became a bishop, archbishop, metropolitan, a permanent member of the Synod of the UOC MP, was invited by Patriarch Kirill to the inter -combat presence of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow and was awarded personally to Putin Order of Friendship.

He believed in his earthly inviolability, referring to the fact that the Mother of God especially loves him, and all his enemies quickly die - such is the magical power of the famous Pavlov Curse.

But something went wrong.

House arrest

On June 29, Pavel violated the house arrest, which he was serving in a mansion of 580 square meters. m in the village of Voronkov near Kiev, and suddenly appeared in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, where he talked with dozens of people, including a witness in his case. He was sent under house arrest on April 1 for a period until July 1, but Pavel decided to become aggravated in a desperate attempt to mobilize the people and “protect” the Kiev Pechersk Lavra from the gradual return to the state. Back in January, the National Reserve “Kiev-Pechersk Lavra” against the backdrop of a scandal with the performance in one of the churches of Lavra of Songs for the glory of Russia broke an agreement on the gratuitous use of the property of the Lavra with the Monastery of the UOC MP, but the monastery is trying to resist.

It cannot be said that Pavel did not mobilize anyone at all, but about a dozen elderly parishioners, about a dozen monks and several seminarists, who was on duty at the Lavra corps, comes about the same group of activists, which was on duty at the Solomensky Court.

It seems that the majority of Lavra monks took a wait -and -see position, and the Primate of the UOC MP Metropolitan Onufry (Berezovsky) and completely voluntarily left the monastery , blessing to give his laurel residence without a fight, and settled in the quiet convent of Theophany.

He did not act with any statements about Paul’s premises.

The reasons for presenting the first suspicion of Pavel back in April 2023 were his swearing from the amvon against the autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine (PCU), which he called a group of atheists, demons and dump trucks, and accusations of the leadership of Ukraine of millions of people (that is, the recognition of Ukraine, the culprit of Svi). The SBU also published Pavel’s telephone conversations, where he rejoiced at the arrival of the Russian troops in Kherson, discussed the American biolaboratories in Ukraine and proposed to give Transcarpathia to Poland and Hungary. At the end of June, the governor of the Lavra gave another interview , where he questioned the sovereignty of Ukraine and denied Russia's involvement in the war in the Donbass in 2014. At this stage, Paul is suspected of two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine: “Violation of the equality of citizens depending on their religious beliefs” (Article 161) and “Execution, recognition of the lawful or denial of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine” (Articles 436-2). He faces up to 8 years in prison with confiscation of property.

The Metropolitan commented in his style. On the one hand, he said pathos that he suffers for Christ and for faith, and this is the highest will of God. On the other hand, he claimed that the judge admitted ( to whom? - A. S. ) at the pressure provided to her, and the security deposit of 33 million proposed to pay the prosecutor for him.

I tearfully turned to my mother that she should not be ashamed of her martyr-son, but immediately began to threaten the prosecutor and investigators, making ritual movements with his hands, which, according to Paul, carry illness and death by the power of God and the cross.

Some of Paul’s young hypodiacons stood nearby for some reason smiled sweetly.

The main argument of the protection parties, expressed by a lawyer Chekan, boils down to the fact that Paul, in principle, cannot be sent to a pre -trial detention center, since he has type I diabetes ...

Kyiv against the UOC

The Government of Ukraine imposed sanctions against 17 officials of the UOC MP and forbade the entry of almost 250 clerks of the Russian Orthodox Church to the country. Citizenship of 19 clergy of the UOC MP was suspended, two hierarchs with Russian citizenship were deported to Russia. Under house arrest, the Metropolitans of the Tulchinsky Jonathan and the Cherkasy Theodosius, who were preached from the Amvon of the Russian World, are now under house arrest. Until November last year, its main (one can say, official) center in Ukraine was the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Now the position in the laurel is confusing and contradictory:

In accordance with the decisions of the courts, after breaking up the use of property, the Ministry of Culture gradually seals its corps, but does not touch the MP MP monks living in the Lavra.

They still occupy their cells and serve in temples on the territory of the lower Lavra, access where it is open from 9 to 18 hours. Kyiv spiritual schools continue to work, although the Primate of the UOC MP and employees of the administration of Metropolitan Lavra left. Russian intelligence services and the media spread rumors about the preparatory export of Lavra shrines abroad, including the relics of Kiev-Pechersky saints, but Ukraine officially refutes these rumors. Two hierarchs of the UOC -MP - Metropolitan Clement (Supper) and Archbishop Sylvester (Strachev) - are negotiating with the Ukrainian government on the format of the UOC -MP department from the Russian Orthodox Church, which would allow the presence of the Lavra. The nominal governorship in the laurel of Metropolitan Paul interferes with these negotiations, but his dismissal after placement in the pre -trial detention center is the leadership of the UOC MP.

Metropolitan Pavel was perhaps the only participant in this conflict who was ready to exacerbate and accelerate the development of events, but, obviously, did not calculate his strength.

"God's judgment does not provide for God's court"

The Ukrainian billionaire of Russian descent Vadim Novinsky, who also became the clergy of the UOC MP, was considered until recently the main sponsor/philanthropist of this church.

The decision of the Solomensky court emphasizes that the pledge for Paul can introduce any person, not only himself. The eyes of the Ukrainian Orthodox community naturally turned to the father of Vadim, who had recently left Ukraine and declared in Switzerland. And he responded - however, in such a spirit that Pavel should not wait for help from him.

“God's judgment,” said Novinsky, “does not provide for bails, and the court of history often turns even powerful monarchs and dictators into dust.”

The problem that resulted in the current “persecution” on Metropolitan Paul and the Kiev Pechersk Lavra was brewing in Ukraine for decades. It is associated with systemic corruption, when church oligarchs, bribing power, could live outside the legal field, and the Moscow Patriarchate, after the Kremlin, believed that Ukraine "can be simply bought." But on the Maidan it turned out that Ukraine consists not only of corruption, that not everything in this world can be bought and not everything can be taken by force of weapons.

Metropolitan Paul carries a cross not only for himself, but also for Viktor Yanukovych, part of which he remained for the last years.

On the afternoon of July 15, Patriarch Kirill published an appeal to everyone on whom it depends on providing any feasible help to Metropolitan Paul - "a person who is in the advanced years", who "threatens with a serious deterioration in health and can lead to death."

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church was silent when they were deprived of the freedom of the elderly Russian believers - mostly Jehovah's witnesses ( religious organizations of Jehovah's witnesses were recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation ). In the current geopolitical context, the call of Cyril, if the Russian authorities respond to him, means the proposal of the exchange of faithful to Moscow of the Metropolitan for Ukrainian prisoners of war - such a practice has already been applied to the Donbass priests who supported the Russian army, and then who newly reached in Ukraine controlled. On the other hand, in Moscow they can be afraid of too widely using Ukraine in such a practice in the future.

Maybe the Pope Francis, who is diligently looking for his “entry point” in the Ukrainian-Russian negotiation process, will now intervene in the fate of Paul?

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