01:43Ukraine: 'We don't intend to be evicted and we won't be' - Kiev-Pechersk Lavra abbot responds to demand to leave monastery
The monks of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) historically linked to Russia do not intend to move out from its buildings, as opposed to government demands. This was stated by the abbot of the monastery, Metropolitan Pavel of Vyshhorod and Chernobyl, in a video message published on the YouTube channel of the monastery on Monday.
"We do not intend to move out and will not, because now there are laws that are on the side of man. And the fact that they threaten us, that they will crack down on us ... this is not 1917. Today, there is a world community, there is some kind of culture," he declared.
The metropolitan also noted that the ministers of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra do not object to the fact that they were visited by representatives of the authorities. At the same time, he stressed that the Lavra had not received official notification about upcoming commissions.
"We are for them to come, but there must be some kind of notification <...> They all threaten us that this is state property. This is the property of the church - it was so and remains. We are not against the state - we are for the state," clergyman added.
On Friday, 10 March, the Ukrainian Culture Ministry said that the management of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra reserve has sent a warning to terminate the agreement on the free use of the Holy Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra with the UOC until 29 March due to the monastery's 'breach of the terms of the agreement on the use of state property', which was previously concluded between the reserve and the monastery in July 2013.
In turn, on Monday, Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitri Peskov expressed concern about the aggravation of the situation around the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and told reporters that the Kremlin considers such an attitude towards church ministers 'unacceptable'.
"This is an absolutely unprecedented attitude towards representatives of the church, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. We consider this unacceptable," the spokesman stressed.
The UOC itself is a self-governing church within the Moscow Patriarchate.
The OCU, which received autocephaly from Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, was established in 2018. It is not recognised by either the Russian Orthodox Church or the UOC. The latest row began on December 2, when the OCU said that Kiev-Pechersk Lavra was registered as a monastery under its own jurisdiction. However, the OCU said it continued to run the Lavra, claiming the OCU’s actions created only a 'fake religious structure without monks'.
Last November, police and the Security Service of Ukraine conducted searches of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra in order to 'protect the population from provocations and terrorist acts' and 'prevent the use of religious communities as a cell of the 'Russian world'.
In December 2022, the Security Service of Ukraine opened 50 criminal cases against priests of the UOC-MP. Also in January, the Prosecutor-General's Office of Ukraine opened a criminal case against Metropolitan Pavlo, vicar of Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, 'over his statements aimed at inciting religious hatred and enmity among believers'. The process of transferring the churches from the UOC-MP to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) has been launched.
On Thursday, December 1, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed on his official Telegram channel that the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine had ordered the submission to parliament of a bill on restrictive measures against representatives of religious organisations which are linked to Russia.
Additionally, Zelensky said that the State Service of Ukraine for Ethno-Politics and Freedom of Conscience was instructed to conduct a religious expert examination of the statute on the UOC-MP's governance to see if it has a church-canonical connection to the Moscow Patriarchate.
01:43Mandatory credit: Kiev-Pechersk Lavra
The monks of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) historically linked to Russia do not intend to move out from its buildings, as opposed to government demands. This was stated by the abbot of the monastery, Metropolitan Pavel of Vyshhorod and Chernobyl, in a video message published on the YouTube channel of the monastery on Monday.
"We do not intend to move out and will not, because now there are laws that are on the side of man. And the fact that they threaten us, that they will crack down on us ... this is not 1917. Today, there is a world community, there is some kind of culture," he declared.
The metropolitan also noted that the ministers of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra do not object to the fact that they were visited by representatives of the authorities. At the same time, he stressed that the Lavra had not received official notification about upcoming commissions.
"We are for them to come, but there must be some kind of notification <...> They all threaten us that this is state property. This is the property of the church - it was so and remains. We are not against the state - we are for the state," clergyman added.
On Friday, 10 March, the Ukrainian Culture Ministry said that the management of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra reserve has sent a warning to terminate the agreement on the free use of the Holy Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra with the UOC until 29 March due to the monastery's 'breach of the terms of the agreement on the use of state property', which was previously concluded between the reserve and the monastery in July 2013.
In turn, on Monday, Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitri Peskov expressed concern about the aggravation of the situation around the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and told reporters that the Kremlin considers such an attitude towards church ministers 'unacceptable'.
"This is an absolutely unprecedented attitude towards representatives of the church, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. We consider this unacceptable," the spokesman stressed.
The UOC itself is a self-governing church within the Moscow Patriarchate.
The OCU, which received autocephaly from Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, was established in 2018. It is not recognised by either the Russian Orthodox Church or the UOC. The latest row began on December 2, when the OCU said that Kiev-Pechersk Lavra was registered as a monastery under its own jurisdiction. However, the OCU said it continued to run the Lavra, claiming the OCU’s actions created only a 'fake religious structure without monks'.
Last November, police and the Security Service of Ukraine conducted searches of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra in order to 'protect the population from provocations and terrorist acts' and 'prevent the use of religious communities as a cell of the 'Russian world'.
In December 2022, the Security Service of Ukraine opened 50 criminal cases against priests of the UOC-MP. Also in January, the Prosecutor-General's Office of Ukraine opened a criminal case against Metropolitan Pavlo, vicar of Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, 'over his statements aimed at inciting religious hatred and enmity among believers'. The process of transferring the churches from the UOC-MP to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) has been launched.
On Thursday, December 1, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed on his official Telegram channel that the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine had ordered the submission to parliament of a bill on restrictive measures against representatives of religious organisations which are linked to Russia.
Additionally, Zelensky said that the State Service of Ukraine for Ethno-Politics and Freedom of Conscience was instructed to conduct a religious expert examination of the statute on the UOC-MP's governance to see if it has a church-canonical connection to the Moscow Patriarchate.