Ministry of Culture: Further destiny of Lavras is in the hands of the state

Director of the Department for Religious Affairs and Nationalities of the Ministry of Culture Andrei Yurash

Director of the Department of Religious Affairs and Nationalities of the Ministry of Culture Andrei Yurash declared in an interview with Glavkom that such assets of national importance belong to the state and are not transferred to anyone, reports the Information and Education Department of the UOC.

According to the official, the lower parts of the Kiev-Pechersk and Pochaev Lavras were let out to the UOC for rent for a 50 year-term.

“Lavras are state-owned <...> The state provided a lease, and it is the prerogative of state bodies to determine their future fate,” said Andrei Yurash and stressed that if violations were revealed in the sanctities’ transfer procedure, this could be a reason for revising the contract lease.

Earlier on the website of the Cabinet of Ministers a petition was registered demanding to cancel the order of the Cabinet of Ministers on the transfer to the UOC of the Holy Assumption Kiev-Pechersk Lavra for gratuitous use. The Abbot of Pochaev Lavra, Metropolitan Vladimir of Pochaev, informed about the threats against the monastery and asked for prayer support, calling, if necessary, to protect the shrine.

Read also

Priests and laity of Rivne Eparchy donate blood for children with cancer

In Rivne, the UOC clergy and laity have donated blood for children undergoing treatment for cancer.

Kyiv seminary students meet with People’s Artist Larisa Kadochnikova

Students of Kyiv’s theological schools spoke with the legend of Ukrainian cinema, who shared her memories of filming "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors".

Bancheny Monastery reports provocation

The UOC monastery in Bancheny has reported a provocation by unidentified individuals.

Romanian Church to hold joint prayer for peace in Ukraine

On the fourth anniversary of the beginning of the war in Ukraine, special prayers for an end to the hostility will be offered in all churches of the Romanian Patriarchate, both in the country and abroad.

Armenian bishops call on authorities to stop Church persecution

At a meeting in Austria, hierarchs of the Armenian Apostolic Church reaffirmed their faithfulness to Catholicos Karekin II of All Armenians and called on the authorities to stop the persecution of the clergy.

Italian media: Ukrainian authorities persecute the country’s largest confession

The Italian outlet L’Identità reported on mass searches, the arrests of clergy, and the ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which it describes as the largest Church in Ukraine.