Ministry of Culture sues Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate for not allowing its commission to enter Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

On Friday, the Ministry of Culture was once again unable to enter the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (Monastery of the Caves) and filed a lawsuit against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) for obstruction.

Source: Oleksandr Tkachenko, Ukraine's Minister of Culture and Information Policy, on Telegram, Ministry of Culture and Information Policy on Telegram

Quote: "The commission for the acceptance and transfer of state property of the National Reserve Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was again unable to start its work due to the opposition of the UOC-MP.

Because of this, the Reserve appealed to the Kyiv Commercial Court to remove the numerous obstacles that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church or the Moscow Patriarchate is putting in the way of the legal transfer of the property of the Lavra to its legal owner – the state.

We will solve the situation in a legal way."

Details: The Ministry of Culture reported that on Friday, the commission for the acceptance and transfer of property was again unable to start work in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra due to the obstruction from the UOC-MP.

When trying again to inspect one of the premises, the commission was unable to enter the building due to it being closed. The keys handed over by the representatives of the Monastery did not go to the core of the lock of the premises.

Tkachenko added that according to Art. 381 of the Civil Code, the property owner is entitled to demand the removal of obstacles to the exercise of the right to use his property.

Background:

• On 29 March 29, the UOC-MP held its last service in the Church of the Ascension of Christ on the lower territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. On 30 March, the clergy of the UOC-MP was supposed to leave the Kyiv Lavra, although they did not want to do so and therefore filed a lawsuit against the National Reserve Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
• Metropolitan Pavlo, the abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (Monastery of the Caves), said that he and other clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) have the right to remain in the Lavra despite receiving an eviction notice, and do not intend to move out until the UOC-MP’s court case against the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve, where the monastery is located, is over.
• Meanwhile Avraamii (Lotysh), Archimandrite of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra of the UOC-MP, joined the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) [not to be confused with the UOC – ed.] and asked its head, Metropolitan Epiphanius, to approve him as acting abbot of the monastery. Epiphanius agreed, and UOC-MP Metropolitan Onufriy banned Archimandrite Avraamii (Lotysh) from serving for going over to the OCU.
• In March 2023, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve broke the contract with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate on the free use of the Lavra in Kyiv, so the monks must vacate all premises of the monastery and all the buildings. The Lavra caves were also closed during the inspection of the preservation of cultural valuables.
• Metropolitan Epiphany of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine assures that the monastery on the territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (Kyiv Monastery of the Caves) will not be closed, and the language of services will be Old Slavic, along with modern Ukrainian.
• Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, gave assurances that UOC-MP clergy would not be evicted from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra by force.
• Pavlo, the abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, had declared that UOC-MP clergy would not leave the territory of the Lavra until the court had handed down a judgement. The Kyiv Commercial Court dismissed the lawsuit brought by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) against the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve.

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