Patriarch Bartholomew conveys words of support to Lavra brethren via Dumenko

Dumenko and Patriarch Bartholomew at the Phanar. Photo: OCU

On June 15, 2026, a telephone conversation took place between Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and the head of the OCU, Epifaniy Dumenko, during which they discussed the attack on the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. This was reported by the OCU press service.

The head of the Phanar described the war as “diabolical” and expressed “deep sorrow” over the damage to the historic shrine. An official statement by the Patriarchate of Constantinople stressed that “no reasonable person can justify the barbaric attack” on a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The conversation also touched on the “brethren of the Lavra,” to whom Patriarch Bartholomew conveyed words of support through the head of the OCU. At the same time, the text does not specify whom exactly the Primate of Constantinople had in mind: the UOC monks who still live and pray in the Lower Lavra, or OCU representatives who are also employees of the Lavra reserve.

Recall that since 2023, the Ukrainian authorities have been trying to force the UOC brethren out of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra: churches and buildings have been taken from them one after another, while court proceedings are underway to evict the monks from the monastery.

On May 12, 2026, museum employees cut off the locks and seized St. Anna’s Conception Church at the Far Caves, taking advantage of the fact that no one was inside. A month later, on June 11, representatives of the state structure seized the academic Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the same way, cutting off the locks and unlawfully entering the shrine.

As the UOJ reported, Zelensky discussed the strike on the Lavra with Patriarch Bartholomew.

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