Head of the reserve: We return Lavra to the OCU

Director of the National Reserve "Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra" Maksym Ostapenko. Photo: ukr.radio

Director of the National Reserve "Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra" Maksym Ostapenko stated that the "return" of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) to the Lavra is an important aspect in preserving the spirituality and historical memory of Ukrainian society. He mentioned this in an interview with Ukrainske Radio.

Ostapenko also emphasized that the presence of the OCU in the Lavra is a "huge step towards Ukraine's true independence".

The head of the reserve believes that the OCU is currently conducting a kind of "counteroffensive" in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. When he saw a church calendar in Russian, Ostapenko understood that they were in the epicenter of the "Russian world", which needs to be eradicated, primarily in people's minds.

Commenting on the possibility of banning the UOC, Ostapenko stated that the authorities should address this issue "firmly once and show who has the right to educate people".

"We have hundreds of churches belonging to the UOC. Some of these believers, I am sure, are Ukrainians. Priests too. But we still have a huge number of people who do not believe their eyes. And that is sad. But I hope that enlightenment will come, and it does come, actually," he added.

As reported by the UOJ, Ostapenko complained that jut a few people attend services of the OCU in the Lavra.

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