Korchinsky – to authorities: Take Lavra from UOC, otherwise we will do it

Dmitry Korchinsky. Photo: screenshot of Korchinsky's YouTube channel

The head of the radical organization Brotherhood, Dmitry Korchinsky, known for organizing the seizure of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra in 1992, said on the air of his YouTube channel that FSB agents live in the Lavra, who "built ugly buildings", and called on the authorities to take the monastery away from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Korchinsky made a video recording in the Lavra against the backdrop of various churches, monastic buildings and other facilities to prove that the buildings built by the UOC for the needs of the monastery allegedly have no architectural value, and on this basis the state should expel the monks from the monastery. The radical stated that the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra “at the end of the 18th century finally passed into the claws of the Moscow Church (in fact, the Lavra entered the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1688 – Ed.) and immediately began to deteriorate. Everything that was built before the end of the 18th century is nice-looking, wonderful, it is Ukrainian baroque, which comes from the Jesuit baroque. But what was built in the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century is disgusting. "

As an example of such "disgusting" things, Korchinsky cited the Refectory Church of the Lavra, which reminded him of "a toad that sat down near the pond." The leader of the Brotherhood, using obscene language, called the buildings of the monastery chicken coops, stalls and huts which were “built by the Moscow sleazebags”. In his opinion, these buildings are inappropriate in the "museum and shrine”. Korchinsky believes that it would be better to simply demolish the buildings of the 20th century, which are of no particular value, but "to build concrete boxes in the center of the Lavra is a crime."

According to the radical, the monastery's church shops sell "amulets and magical images imitating Christianity."

“The Bolsheviks mutilated our shrines by destroying them, while their successors, Moscow priests mutilate our shrines by building them up, they will destroy them a little later,” Korchinsky said emotionally. “And I want to ask: where is the Cabinet, which gave them a piece of our shrine for use? Now there is every reason to take it away, they mutilate and destroy it. Seize it from them, otherwise the Ukrainian people will have to take it. Amen."

Recall that on the eve of the creation of the OCU, Korchinsky called to "lovingly burn beards of Moscow priests," while in 2018 members of his "Brotherhood" held a "prayer service" in the Assumption Cathedral of the Lavra and threatened to "take away all the churches" from the UOC.

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