Lazar, Former Crimean Metropolitan Who Backed Annexation, Dies

Metropolitan Lazar Passes Away

According to Главком: Lazar (secular name: Rostyslav Shvets), the former Metropolitan of Simferopol and Crimea, has died. He held that position from 1992 until 2023. Born on April 22, 1939, in the village of Komaryn in what is now Ternopil Oblast, Lazar was a prominent figure within the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, known for his lengthy tenure.

Career and Religious Activity

Lazar's career followed a traditional path within the church. He enrolled in the Minsk Theological Seminary in 1957, served in the Soviet Army from 1958 to 1961, and then continued his studies. He graduated from the Odesa Theological Seminary in 1964 and the Leningrad Theological Academy in 1968, earning a Candidate of Theology degree. In 1980, he took monastic vows and was elevated to archimandrite. His subsequent appointments included:

• Bishop of Argentina and South America in 1980,
• Archbishop of Ternopil and Kremenets in 1989,
• Archbishop of Simferopol and Crimea from 1992 onward.

He was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan in 2000. In 2012, he was appointed a permanent member of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Lazar's legacy is deeply controversial due to his political stance. He was a vocal supporter of Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine beginning in 2014. In December 2022, a decree by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stripped him of his Ukrainian citizenship, and Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council imposed sanctions on him. His actions included leading a prayer service in 2016 at the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Simferopol and blessing Russia's Black Sea Fleet in annexed Sevastopol in 2017.

His death marks a significant moment in the region's religious landscape, given his long service and influence over Orthodox life in Crimea and Ukraine. The Moscow Patriarchate's branch in Ukraine has been a focal point of tension since Russia's initial invasion in 2014.

It is important to note that Lazar was a highly divisive figure, and his support for Russian aggression against Ukraine provoked mixed reactions among the faithful and in society at large.

- Source: analytical review

His passing may influence the future development of Orthodox Christianity in Ukraine, particularly in the context of ongoing Ukraine-Russia relations and the position of the Moscow Patriarchate's church within the country. Given his lengthy career and influence, his successor could play a major role in shaping religious life in the region.