The bishops were assisted by numerous clergy from the Ekaterinburg and other metropolitanates. Holy Communion was served from 100 chalices to accommodate the massive congregation.
Drabinko spoke out against attempts to seize the Pochaev Lavra from the UOC, pointing to the problems within the OCU itself.
The organizers noted that over 30,000 people—by some media estimates 35,000—participated in the events held at various venues of the “Dostoevsky Days at Optina Monastery” festival.
Every year on July 16, the “Royal Days” (Царские дни) begins in the Ural city of Ekaterinburg, Russia—the place where Tsar Nicholas II, along with the rest of the royal family and several faithful servants, met their martyric death.
The leaders called upon the Israeli government to be held accountable for those “who facilitate and enable” these attacks.