MP: One needs to remove Pochaiv and Kyiv Lavras from the long-term lease by UOC

Evheniya Kravchuk. Photo: MP's Facebook page

Checkups will be carried out in the lower part of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and in the Pochaiv Lavra for compliance with legislation in the field of protection of architectural monuments. Yevhenia Kravchuk, an MP from the Servant of the People party, deputy chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian Policy, told about this in an interview with chesno.org.

According to her, the checks will help to withdraw the Kyiv-Pechersk and Pochaiv Lavras from the lease by the UOC, since it is difficult to do this now – the lower part of the Kyiv Lavra is in permanent lease by the Church, while the lease agreement with the Pochaiv Lavra ends only in 2052.

“It is so written in the contract that in fact the state cannot initiate the termination of the contract even in court. The way out may be to check for compliance with the monument protection legislation, because it is no secret that the construction on the territories of the lavras was in full swing,” the deputy explained.

That is why, according to Kravchuk, the presidential decree on the implementation of the NSDC decision on the activities of religious organizations contains a clause on conducting inspections and clarifying the situation with state property.

“MPs have long been wondering about law enforcement agencies coming up with the criminal cases, suspicions, etc. And I am very glad that the SBU has been actively working lately, because there is something to work on. Each search is a continuous 'Russian world', portraits of the Gundyaevs, Russian passports and a lot of cash in safes,” Evhenia is sure.

Kravchuk added that this is a very sensitive area and it is important "to prevent steps that could drive religious communities underground and lead to a 'suffering for the faith' discourse."

As the UOJ reported, Minister of Culture Oleksandr Tkachenko said that according to the laws of Ukraine, the state cannot transfer its property for long-term use to religious organizations.

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