Ministry of Culture: Further destiny of Lavras is in the hands of the state
Holy Assumption Kiev-Pechersk and Pochaev Lavras are state-owned and to dispose of their further destiny is in the competence of the state.
Director of the Department of Religious Affairs and Nationalities of the Ministry of Culture Andrei Yurash declared in an interview with Glavkom that such assets of national importance belong to the state and are not transferred to anyone, reports the Information and Education Department of the UOC.
According to the official, the lower parts of the Kiev-Pechersk and Pochaev Lavras were let out to the UOC for rent for a 50 year-term.
“Lavras are state-owned <...> The state provided a lease, and it is the prerogative of state bodies to determine their future fate,” said Andrei Yurash and stressed that if violations were revealed in the sanctities’ transfer procedure, this could be a reason for revising the contract lease.
Earlier on the website of the Cabinet of Ministers a petition was registered demanding to cancel the order of the Cabinet of Ministers on the transfer to the UOC of the Holy Assumption Kiev-Pechersk Lavra for gratuitous use. The Abbot of Pochaev Lavra, Metropolitan Vladimir of Pochaev, informed about the threats against the monastery and asked for prayer support, calling, if necessary, to protect the shrine.
