The Primate of the OCU, Metropolitan Epiphany, commented on the latest events related to the eviction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

The press service of OCU informs about it.

Statements of the UOC MP about closing the monastery are manipulation

Epiphanius emphasized that there is no question of closing the monastery and ending monastic life in it.

"Comparing the current events with the past persecutions of the Communist authorities against the Church in general and the two-time closure of the monastery in particular is baseless manipulation," the Metropolitan explained.

According to him, such statements sound particularly cynical "from the lips of a hierarch who was closely connected with the Communist Party and even tried to be nominated for an elected position on its behalf" (Epiphany is obviously referring to the scandalous vicar of the Lavra, Metropolitan Pavel).

The Lavra became a center for promoting the ideology of the "Russian Peace"

The head of the OCU believes that the UOC MP wants to mislead the state and society by declaring separation from the Moscow Patriarchate while actually maintaining its subordination to it.

"Both Metropolitan Onufriy and the Synod headed by him did not react in any way to the numerous facts of the collaboration of their hierarchs and clergy with the Russian occupiers, to the annexation by Kirill Gundyaev of religious structures located in the temporarily occupied territories. Instead, in the spirit of Russian propaganda, they focused on accusations against Ukraine." , said Epiphanius.

According to him, under the leadership of the current head of the monastery, Metropolitan Pavel Lavra, it has consistently and deliberately turned into a center for promoting the ideology of "Russian Peace".

Epiphanius called on the monks of the UOC MP monastery in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra to "free themselves from the Moscow yoke" and join the OCU.

As a reminder, by March 29, the priests of the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate must vacate all the buildings of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and hand over the property to the state.

, the Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine 

 , explained that the monks will be able to stay in the Lavra after the completion of state inspections, but under certain conditions.

According to LB.ua, the audit revealed about 40 illegal new buildings on the territory of the Lavra in Kyiv.

In turn, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kyrylo, who blesses the occupiers to kill Ukrainians, called the Lavra "the cradle of Russian civilization" and called on his followers to "protect" it. 

And the Kremlin said that the eviction of the UOC-MP from the Lavra allegedly "justifies the conduct of a "special operation".

Read also:

• "The prayer in the Lavra must continue": the priest of the OCU told what choice the monks have

• Will the UOC MP try to "buy" a place in the Lavra: the cleric explained the possible development of events

• The Pope commented on the eviction of the UOC-MP from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

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