OCU admits UOC received only walls from the state in Pochaiv Lavra

The Pochaiv Lavra. Photo: telegraf.com.ua

If the state cancels the agreement with the UOC on the use of the Pochaiv Lavra, it will get back "only the walls" that the monks rented at the end of the last century. This was said in an interview with hromadske.ua by OCU "Metropolitan" Nestor Pysyk, who has been appointed "priest-archimandrite" of the Lavra by the "synod" of this organization.

"When an agreement on the use of the Pochaiv Lavra was made in the 90s, the agreement concerned only the premises – that is, roughly speaking, only the walls were transferred, and the book value of the Pochaiv Lavra was UAH 1 million 200 thousand," admitted Pysyk. “If we simply break the contract of use with them now, they have the right to say: we return what we have received under the documents, that is, only the premises. As for the relics, icons, vessels on which services are conducted, and historical valuables collected over the centuries of existence of the monastery, they have the full right to take away with them, because they were not registered anywhere at the time of their transfer. Therefore, in the case of the Pochaiv Lavra, one cannot simply make a hasty decision and terminate the agreement."

The “metropolitan" believes that the authorities must find reasons to take away from the UOC not only the premises of the Lavra but also its other shrines and historical valuables.

"Before terminating the contract, there should be a state commission set up, which will establish according to old sources what property there was before the Pochaiv Lavra was transferred to the monastery for use, and what representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate will have to leave when they are obliged to leave there."

As reported, the Verkhovna Rada Committee for Humanitarian and Information Policy recommended that MPs adopt a draft resolution on an appeal to the Cabinet of Ministers with a proposal to terminate the agreement with the Pochaiv Lavra on the use of the monastery buildings.

Read also