Yelensky announces new ROC-affiliation checks following Pochaiv Lavra probe

Viktor Yelensky. Photo: Ukrinform

Ukraine’s State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) will begin new reviews of religious organizations next week to determine whether they are affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church, Ukrinform reports.

DESS head Viktor Yelensky said that after completing its review of the Pochaiv Lavra, the agency’s specialists would begin examining other communities and religious structures. According to him, the service cannot conduct all such reviews simultaneously, so new proceedings are being launched in stages.

“We have completed the Pochaiv Lavra review, and we are beginning new examinations, apparently as early as next week,” Yelensky said.

He added that the Pochaiv Lavra would receive an official order to sever its ties with the Russian Orthodox Church. Should the monastery refuse to comply, DESS would seek a court ruling terminating its activities.

As the UOJ reported, DESS declared the Pochaiv Lavra “affiliated” with the Russian Orthodox Church. The agency based its conclusion on the Lavra’s inclusion within the structure of the UOC and the Kyiv Metropolis.

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