OCU rep awaits authorities to expel UOC monks from Pochaiv Holy Spirit Skete

Pochaiv Holy Spirit Skete of the UOC. Photo: Pochaiv Lavra website

The "metropolitan" of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Nestor Pysyk, whom the Synod of Dumenko’s structure appointed as the "abbot" of the newly created on paper "Pochaiv Holy Spirit Monastery of the Ternopil Diocese of the UOC (OCU)," told Suspilne that he expects the state to expel the UOC monks so he can populate the skete with his people. There are no monks yet, but Pysyk hopes they will appear in due time.

According to him, during UOC services in the skete, "violations" were committed.

"As usual, the Moscow Patriarchate, when given architectural monuments to use, starts to destroy and rebuild them, altering them from the way the state and those preserving historical heritage envision them, instead shaping them as they see fit," Pysyk complained to journalists.

He believes that the expulsion of the UOC from the monastery is a foregone conclusion.

"The state, the people, and society want these premises not to be left empty, they want these churches to function, the monastery to have life, for services to be held, and monks to reside there. There is an opinion that the Ukrainian Church should settle in this monastery and that OCU monks should live there," the "hierarch" stated. According to him, settling the OCU there will be "a brick in the foundation of Ukraine's victory over Russia."

He also mentioned that the skete is designed for 30 monks but admitted that he has no one to populate it with.

"I am not ready to say how many there will be initially, but I believe that over time, the brotherhood will grow. All monasteries start with a small number. None have begun with dozens of monks; it has always started with just a few," Pysyk stated, adding that he is willing to accept UOC monks into the OCU if "they are truly convinced, if they understand that they want to be with Ukraine, with the Ukrainian Church."

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the OCU had created the structure "Pochaiv Holy Spirit Monastery".

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