Poturaev on Lavra eviction: We have to wait for a court decision
Nikita Poturaev. Photo: a screenshot of the Radio Liberty YouTube channel
On 7 April 2023, an MP of the People's Servant faction, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy Nikita Poturaev said that they have to wait on the eviction of monks from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra until a court decision.
Commenting on the terms of the UOC monks' stay in the Lavra, Poturaev told Radio Liberty: "On the terms of stay, I urge everyone to be realistic, because the state has taken absolutely legal decisions."
According to him, "the Ukrainian state had the right to make these decisions and they should have been implemented by now. But these decisions are being appealed in court. And if we have to wait for a court ruling which, I am convinced, will confirm the legality of these decisions, then we should wait".
Poturaev also said that European practice requires that "such decisions have judicial confirmation".
"Therefore, if it is necessary to wait longer, it is worth waiting, so that there will be no problems with appealing these decisions in the future. So that none of the so-called experts or journalists, including those abroad, question these decisions so that it is simply impossible to do so," the Servant of the People MP added.
As reported, Poturaev "does not rule out" that the issue with Lavra will have to be resolved in court.
Read also
World Council of Churches condemns confiscation of evangelical church in Iran
Secretary General Jerry Pillay demanded the return of the St. Peter's Church complex to believers.
Poland repeals law recognizing same-sex unions concluded in the EU
The court ruled that the registration of foreign same-sex unions contradicts the article of the Constitution defining marriage as a union of a man and a woman.
The right hand of St. Basil the Great to visit Romania for the first time
The relic from Greece will be displayed in the cathedral of Alexandria to mark the 30th anniversary of the local diocese.
DESS expert tells US State Department reps about religious freedom in Ukraine
Andriy Smirnov held a meeting with staff of the US State Department's Office of International Religious Freedom.
Eight people killed in drone strike on monastery in Ethiopia
Two nuns and six priests were killed in the strike on the monastery; several more people were seriously injured.
Church commemorates St. Seraphim of Sarov
The venerable saint began his path of asceticism after a pilgrimage to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and prayer before the Caves saints.