Head of Reserve claims that Russian Church anathematized Petro Mohyla
Maksym Ostapenko announced that the Russian Orthodox Church declared anathema on St. Petro Mohyla – just as they did with Ivan Mazepa.
The director of the National Reserve "Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra", Maksym Ostapenko, stated that the Russian Orthodox Church had anathematized St. Peter Mohyla. He said this in an interview with "Ukrainske Radio".
According to him, the names of people who made an incredible contribution to Ukrainian culture, spirituality, and statehood were erased and struck from the lists for 300 years.
He also noted that after Ivan Mazepa, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was captured, allegedly leading to the "destruction of all manifestations of Ukrainian Orthodoxy and Ukrainian Christianity" there.
Ostapenko also assured that the staff of the reserve "is trying to restore to the Lavra the Ukrainian narrative and the true Ukrainian history."
In fact, Petro Mohyla took monastic vows in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, which at the time was one of the main outposts of persecuted Orthodoxy in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
After the death of the Lavra's hegumen, Petro Mohyla became an archimandrite and the abbot of the Pechersk Monastery. He spared neither his money nor his efforts for its improvement.
On April 28, 1633, Petro Mohyla was ordained Metropolitan of Kyiv and Galicia. The ordination took place in Lviv and was headed by the Lviv bishop.
With the consent of the Polish king, Mohyla returned monasteries and churches to the Orthodox Church, including the Sophia Cathedral and the Vydubychi Monastery. He restored and arranged the ancient Church of the Transfiguration on Berestove, as well as the Holy Trinity Church, which he gave to the Brotherhood Monastery. In 1635, on the orders of Metropolitan Peter, the remains of the Tithes (Desiatynna – Ed.) Church were excavated and cleared of ruins.
On December 6, 1996, the Holy Synod of the UOC canonized Metropolitan Peter Mohyla as a locally revered saint. On December 8, 2005, the name of St. Peter was also added to the calendar of the ROC.
As reported by the UOJ, the OCU rejected the idea of coexistence with the UOC in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and stated that only they should be present in the monastery.
