President Volodymyr Zelensky does not plan to meet with representatives of the Synod of the UOC-MP on March 20.
A representative of the Office of the President approached them and offered to convey the appeal to the President, but they refused and continue to insist on a meeting.
Earlier, the media reported that members of the Synod of the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate, headed by Metropolitan Onufry, came to the president’s office. They want to discuss with Zelensky the issues of their eviction from the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.
Subsequently, a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine appeared in the pro-Russian publication Strana. The head of the Synodal Information and Education Department of the UOC, Metropolitan of Nizhyn and Prilutsk Kliment, commented on the statement of the presidential press secretary Sergei Nikiforov that the President of Ukraine has not yet scheduled a meeting with representatives of the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate. Clement is “very sorry.”
Recall that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), which was suspected in Ukraine of anti-Ukrainian activities, must leave the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra before March 29. With the branch of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine, the lease agreement concluded in 2013 is terminated.
The director of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra state reserve sent a letter to the clergy of the Moscow Patriarchate demanding to vacate the rented premises by the end of March. The agreement is broken on the basis of the conclusions of the working group created by the government of Ukraine, when they checked the activities of the UOC-MP in the Lavra.
The verification began in 2022, when the authorities received hundreds of signals about the collaboration activities of the priests of the UOC-MP, who often supported the Russian occupiers in Ukraine.
During the inspection, a violation by the monastery of the terms of the agreement on the use of state property was revealed, the letter from the directorate of the reserve says.
The Parliament appealed to the Security Service of Ukraine so that the museum valuables would not disappear during the liberation of the buildings and premises of the Lavra from the UOC-MP. The deputies had in mind the relics and other historically important items that should be returned to the state.
The Minister of Culture of Ukraine Oleksandr Tkachenko said earlier that there are 800 exhibits on the territory of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. He believes that the sanctioned persons from the UOC-MP should first of all leave the Lavra. In particular, this is her vicar, Metropolitan Pavel, who was sanctioned for anti-Ukrainian activities. But the monks can stay in the premises of the Lavra, but in what format it will be decided later.
The reaction of the ROC in Ukraine
The UOC-MP considers the eviction a provocation and does not want to leave the Lavra, because they believe that there are no legal grounds for this.
Metropolitan Pavel (Lebed), better known as Pasha Mercedes (for his love of luxury cars), recorded a video message stating that the monks of the Moscow Patriarchate would not be evicted from the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. The metropolitan says that no one will force them to leave and they will “defend their rights to the last.”
Lebed recorded several addresses, and in Ukrainian, although he had previously announced public speeches and interviews in Russian. He said his church was “not opposed to all legal actions,” including commission inspections, but the churchmen allegedly were not told the legal grounds for the eviction. So, the monks will not be evicted because they have been living in the Lavra for many years.
Almost simultaneously with these statements, surveillance camera videos were published online. It turned out that at the divine service, Lebed intimidated the flock with the “apocalypse” and “people in priestly robes” who allegedly would come to desecrate churches. He also appealed to the events of 100 years ago, when the Bolshevik-Communists began to persecute the church.
These are the grandchildren of the revolution, the leaders, the persecutors of the Church of Christ. The apocalypse begins with Ukraine, the Metropolitan convinces the believers.
Capital of the Orthodox
Religious scholars call the Holy Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra the informal capital of East Slavic Orthodoxy. The monastery began to operate in the XI century, that is, about 100 years before the founding of Moscow.
The church returned to the Lavra in 1988. By the 1000th anniversary of the baptism of Rus’, it was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) – there simply were no others in the Soviet Union. Then the churchmen were given only a part of the Lavra – the so-called Far Caves and the building, in which the Kiev Theological Seminary would later be opened. Gradually, the territory controlled by the Ukrainian part of the Russian Orthodox Church, which later became part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, expanded.
In 2013, under the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych, the government decided to transfer this church for free use of 79 buildings and structures in the Lavra: temples, the famous Lavra caves, a seminary, an academy and the official residence of the head of the church, Metropolitan Onufry.
It is for these objects that the agreement on gratuitous use is now being terminated.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.