Dumenko: There are "very few" monks-Ukrainians in the Pochaev Lavra

Sergei (Epiphany) Dumenko at a meeting in Ternopil on May 21. Photo: ternopoliany.te.ua

The head of the OCU, Sergei (Epiphany) Dumenko, on May 21, at a meeting with young people in Ternopil, said that in the Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra, most of the monks are not Ukrainians but foreigners, reports the ‘Ternopoliany’ website.

“In Pochaev, as far as I know, there are very few Ukrainian monks. Most of them are brought from other countries, not only from Russia,” Dumenko said. "The Pochaev Lavra is temporarily under the so-called occupation." He also noted that the Pochaev Lavra is a spiritual centre, around which there are many communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which the head of the OCU traditionally calls the “Russian church”.

Dumenko also said that "we need to be patient" and conditions will appear for all the Lavras of the UOC in Ukraine to belong to the "real Ukrainian church". And a significant part of these conditions, according to the head of the OCU, depends on the actions of the state authorities.

As reported earlier, the discussion of "transitions" with Blinken is the message of the OCU to the Ukrainian authorities, the expert believes.

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