Autocephaly on the move: CoM site urges to take away Lavra from UOC
After the appointment of the Phanar exarchs to Kiev, a concern is once again raised in Ukraine as for taking away the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra from the UOC.
The website of the Cabinet of Ministers registered a petition demanding to abolish the Cabinet's decree on transferring the Holy Assumption Kiev-Pechersk Lavra to the unrequited use by the UOC.
The petition No. 41 / 001863-18еп, filed on September 10, demands "to cancel the order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on July 11, 2013, No. 519-p on the transfer of 79 buildings and constructions to the gratuitous use of the Holy Assumption Kiev-Pechersk Lavra (Monastery) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and return the above buildings and constructions to state ownership."
The author of the petition is Anton Komarov.
As of September 13, the petition was signed by 1695 people out of 25,000 needed.
As reported by the UOJ, the other day leader of the UOC-KP Filaret met with Acting Director of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra Reserve Alexander Rudnik and demanded the transfer of the 19th building of the Lavra to the Kiev Patriarchate. He insisted that this be done soon.
The head of the Kiev Patriarchate has repeatedly stated that the Kiev-Pechersk and Pochaev Lavra that belong to the UOC must belong to the new Local Church, which Filaret himself plans to lead.
In turn, Abbess Seraphima, rector of the Odessa Holy Archangel Michael Monastery, chairperson of the Synodal Church and Culture Committee of the UOC, stressed that the faithful will defend the shrines of the UOC until the last breath: the clergy and the faithful themselves will not leave voluntarily the Kiev-Pechersk, Pochaev and Sviatogorsk sanctities – they can only leave them in coffins.
