Russian-linked church appeals eviction from Kyiv Monastery of the Caves

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), which has been ordered to vacate the premises of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Monastery of the Caves) by 29 March, will appeal its eviction. The lawsuit was filed on the morning of 29 March. 

Source: RIA Novosti, a pro-Kremlin Russian media outlet; Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate on Facebook; Unified State Register of Court Decisions

Details: Metropolitan Pavlo (Lebid) earlier said that UOC-MP clergy were not going to move out from the Lavra.

According to the Unified State Register of Court Decisions of Ukraine, "on 23 March, the Kyiv City Commercial Court received a claim from the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra/Men's Monastery/Ukrainian Orthodox Church against the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve to invalidate the unilateral withdrawal from the contract and remedy the effects of the invalid transaction."

The judge who was to hear the case recused himself. The case will now be transferred to an authorised officer of the Kyiv Commercial Court to decide on automatic reallocation of the case.

On Wednesday morning, UOC-MP supporters came "to worship in the Pechersk monastery and are offering their prayers to the Lord, the Most Holy Theotokos and the reverend fathers under the open sky."

The UOC-MP said "thousands of believers" have gathered for prayer, but the video posted by the church does not appear to substantiate this claim.

Background:

• At its meeting on 1 December 2022, Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) instructed the Cabinet of Ministers to propose that the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) institute a ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), and also initiated a review of the legality of the UOC-MP’s presence at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (Monastery of the Caves).
• The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has conducted dozens of searches of the premises of several churches and monasteries of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, including in the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. The SSU has called UOC-MP clergy "enemy agents".
• In 2022, the SSU opened 52 criminal cases involving 55 UOC-MP clergymen, including 14 bishops.
• Nearly 200 UOC-MP clergymen have been banned from entering Ukraine. The National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine imposed sanctions against UOC-MP and Russian Orthodox Church officials.
• As of 23 February 2023, the SSU has investigated nearly 60 criminal cases brought against pro-Russian UOC-MP clergy; over 350 church buildings and 850 persons linked to the church have been subject to thorough checks and inspections. Ukrainian courts have handed down seven guilty verdicts.

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