The monks of the UOC-MP were obliged to leave the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra due to the cancellation of the lease agreement. The priests refused to comply with the request of the Ministry of Culture and the National Security and Defense Council.
The Kiev-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve concluded the agreement on the free use of buildings and other property with the Monastery of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. Priests and monks have 20 days to leave. That is, on March 30, they should no longer be in the Lavra. The reason for the termination of the contract is the decisions of the National Security and Defense Council, the conclusions of the Interdepartmental Working Group and the letter of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy.
The monks of the UOC-MP, together with the abbot of the Lavra, Metropolitan Pavel, declared that “they will not leave anywhere.” According to the metropolitan, “this shrine was created for the whole country, for the whole world.”
Expulsion of the UOC-MP from the Lavra: text broadcast
March 31st
11.30. There was a small fight near the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Ukrainian patriots came under the walls of the reserve with a banner: “Get out of Russia from Lavri.”
UOC-MP patrons tore down this poster. Immediately after that, the Archimandrite of the UOC-MP Fyodor poured water from a bucket on one of the activists, and then began to bless the journalists with water. Fedor called it a “water holiday”.
10.12. The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, promised not to use force against the believers and priests of the UOC to force them to leave the territory of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.
“We know that there is a plan in Moscow to create an image for Russian TV that we, as the authorities, are exerting physical pressure on representatives of the clergy. We will not do this, no one will drag them by the whiskers,” said Danilov.
10.05. The believers of the UOC did not allow the commission in the place of the Lavra. The police have not yet intervened.
10.00. The faithful moved to the main entrance of the monastery and waited for the members of the commission of the Ministry of Culture, which should carry out the process of accepting the monastery buildings for state use.
6.30. Parishioners of the UOC began to gather at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Near the Exaltation of the Cross Church, MP priests began the service.
March 30th
17.41. The court rejected the claim of UOC-MP related to the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra reserve. The Moscow Patriarchate asked not to allow him to be expelled from the territory of the Lavra, but the court did not meet the request and recognized the expulsion of the priests as legal.
15.42. The head of the Ministry of Culture Alexander Tkachenko spoke about the “brutal behavior” of UOC-MP priests on the territory of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Because of today’s obstruction of the work of the commission of the Ministry of Culture, a statement was filed with the police. Also, according to Tkachenko, “many unknowns” prevented commission members from entering the building.
15.22. Due to the fact that the Lavra monk prevented journalistic activities, the capital’s police opened criminal proceedings.
12.30. Russian State Duma deputy Vitaly Milonov proposed sending Russian tanks to Kyiv to protect the monks of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.
12.10. The Lavra monk hit and destroyed the camera of the Suspіlne TV channel.
11.00. In fact, the UOC-MP blocked the first day of work of the commission of the Ministry of Culture. According to the representative of the commission, the door to the temple is closed.
“We will do an external survey, take actions within the framework of the law. We have three months for this activity, but today is the first day. As I understand it, this is how they “blessed” us, commented Maryana Tomin, director of the Department of Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture.
10.45. Kyiv Lavra rector Pavel said he would beat journalists who shot him with a stick.
10.38. Paul said to the believers who hindered the work of the commission: “Stand quietly and humbly. But under no circumstances can any commission work. They have no permission and right to do this. four months after the war, they can start communicating with us. They don’t even have a decision in court.”
10:26. Metropolitan Pavel said that the commission of the Ministry of Culture will not be allowed on the territory of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.
“They have no right. Who is the National Security and Defense Council? Today there is, and tomorrow – no. I am surprised that he (NSDC Secretary Alexei Danilov – ed.) speaks about the state … The state is the whole It is not Danilov , not the president, but all the people … We will not let (the commission – ed.), Pavel said in a comment to journalists.
Also, the media noticed Onufry’s cortege on the territory of the Lavra.
9.15. The UOC-MP did not leave the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, despite the fact that the lease agreement for the churches ended on March 29. On the morning of March 30, MP priests began to conduct services. At this time, a commission of the Ministry of Culture should come there to assess the state property left by the UOC-MP and return it to the state.
March 29
The last formal service of the UOC-MP took place at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Law enforcement officers are afraid of clashes or confrontations, but the prayer service is relatively calm. Believers are only affected by journalists.
In particular, one of the priests began to broadcast theses of Kremlin propagandists that Russia allegedly did not launch a war in Donbass. The representative of the MP began to deny that the Russian invaders were in the Donbas since 2014. The priest complained about the Revolution of Dignity and the fugitive President Viktor Yanukovych.
“Why did Donbass rise up? Because Yanukovych cheated them,” he said.
In response to the journalist’s clarification that Donbass did not “come out”, but the Russians invaded its territory, the priest said that those areas were allegedly “bombed by Ukrainians.”
“Ukrainians were the first to bomb. Don’t talk about Donbass. Donbass doesn’t like Poroshenko, doesn’t like Maidan. What did Maidan give Ukraine? “Remember,” said the father.
Source: korrespondent
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.