ROCOR: Requiring monks to leave Lavra is a gross violation of UOC rights

Archpriest Serafim Gan. Photo: pravoslavie.ru

Archpriest Serafim Gan said that the Ukrainian authorities' demand for the inhabitants of the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra to leave the monastery is a gross violation of their rights and religious freedoms, reports the synod.com website.

Father Serafim stressed that politicians should not interfere in church issues. "They can help, they can even express their thoughts, their attitude towards various issues, express their wishes. But they cannot dictate to the Church how to solve Her issues. These questions are solved by the Church, and we have our own legislation in the Church: the canons and the rules of the Church. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church acts according to this set of rules," he said.

He stressed that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church helped refugees and displaced persons, as well as the Ukrainian army more than any other religious organization in Ukraine. In particular, he said, the monks of the Holy Ascension Monastery of Bancheny help five thousand migrants, and other cloisters and parishes also support those in need. "Therefore, this attitude on the part of the government is more than unfair," the priest said.

As reported, Metropolitan Mark, a ROCOR hierarch, earlier said that the UOC ban is comparable to the persecution of early Christians.

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