VR's mouthpiece calls Pochaiv Lavra an outpost of the "Russian world"

Holy Dormition Pochaiv Lavra. Photo: pravlife.org

On September 1, 2020, the website of the official newspaper of the Verkhovna Rada "Voice of Ukraine" made the publication "Pochaiv Lavra – an outpost of the ‘Russian world’", built on accusations against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church as "the main striking force of the aggressor" in the western region of the country.

“In the conditions of Russia's undeclared war against Ukraine, the front line runs not only in the East, but also in the West,” the publication says. “Here, the main striking force of the aggressor is the UOC-MP, which in the Ternopil region turned one of the most famous monasteries in the world – the Pochaiv Holy Dormition Lavra – into an outpost of the ‘Russian world’."

According to the author of the material, Svetlana Cherna, the monastery “does not remind that it was founded by monks from Kiev, and the land for the church was provided by the Ukrainian gentry, local landowner Anna Goiskaya. In addition, during the period of the Union, a unique architectural ensemble was created by the Basilian monks of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church." She stressed that "the ROC in the 1830s, when the UGCC was liquidated, came to Pochaiv when everytyhing had been already done and stole the credit of the previous ascetics."

Svetlana Chernaya pointed out that the Church has always sought to make the Pochaiv Lavra “the center of Russification policy in Volyn,” and “the persistent implantation of political and ideological constructs of the ‘Russian world’ into the consciousness of the local population has yielded results – he Russian language of divine services is common and organic for parishioners here."

“As a result of the extensive use of the Russian language in the Lavra, which is visited by many people (no less than the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, and perhaps more), and other churches of the UOC-MP, a significant part of the inhabitants of the western region, which has always been considered more Ukrainian, more nation-conscious and patriotic, the language of the occupier and its culture, even in the seventh year of the Russian-Ukrainian war, do not cause rejection and are viewed to a certain extent as a pattern,” the author of the publication noted, drawing parallels with “Russian low-grade chanson”.

Therefore, according to Chernaya, today's Pochaiv Lavra is “a powerful propaganda tower that sends a certain signal programmed by Russia from the high Kremenets Mountain”, where everyone calls the war in Donbass fratricidal, does not want to visit the “native” OCU, does not go to the Lavra in embroidered shirts and massively flout quarantine restrictions.

“The Church, like any other public association, takes an active part in social life and is one of the powerful sources of influence on the political and social attitudes of its parishioners. Underestimation by the authorities of the threats posed by the UOC-MP, neglect of the fact that the Pochaiv Lavra, being subordinate to this Russian structure, raises and multiplies the fifth column, carries out activities aimed at deconsolidation and discord in society is also a direct threat to the social and national security of our state," summarizes the material on the website of the official publication of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

As reported by the UOJ, earlier Vladimir Viatrovich, former director of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, deputy of the Verkhovna Rada from the European Solidarity faction, called to take away the Kyiv-Pechersk and Pochaiv Lavras from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

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