KDAiS appeals to educational religious institutions for protection

Archimandrite Filaret (Voloshyn). Photo: youtube.com screenshot

The KDAiS published a video message from the Vice-Rector for Educational and Methodological Work, Archimandrite Filaret (Voloshyn) to religious educational institutions of the world regarding the illegal eviction of one of the oldest religious educational institutions in Eastern Europe (KDA) from the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The appeal was published on the website of the Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary.

Archimandrite Filaret in the video spoke about the critical situation that has unfolded in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
“Our large Lavra family consists of two hundred monks, three hundred students who aspire to be Orthodox priests, and three hundred workers. On March 29, these hundreds of people risk losing their prayer center, their homes, their school and the vineyard where they work for the glory of God. Hundreds of our students, young Ukrainians, mostly between 17 and 21 years old, can be expelled into the streets, even without the opportunity to finish this academic year,” he said.

The representative of the KDAiS noted that the Ukrainian government artificially decided to terminate the lease agreement for the permanent use of the Church, signed in 2013, without even explaining why.

Archimandrite Filaret urged the religious educational institutions of the world to come to the defense of the Lavra. “We hope that with your help we can continue to serve God so that peace is restored in a free and democratic Ukraine, where everyone can pray to God as he or she chooses, upholding our values that respect human rights, notably religious rights!” he summed up.

As the UOJ reported, the Ministry of Culture told why the UOC was being expelled from the Lavra.

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Particular attention was given to the role of religious organizations in “patriotic education.”