Ostapenko complains that few people go to "services" of OCU in the Lavra
The director of the reserve said that the Upper Lavra "got rid of the traces of the ‘Pasha Mercedes' monastery", but the OCU failed to "to restore its place there".
Director of the National Reserve "Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra" Maksym Ostapenko complained that not many Ukrainians attend the services of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. He mentioned this in an interview with Ukrainske Radio.
According to him, the reserve got rid of traces of the monastery named after "Pasha Mercedes" in the Upper Lavra, after which the OCU, led by Avrahamiy Lotysh, started conducting services there.
"Unfortunately, not many Ukrainians have been able to restore their spiritual place in the Lavra yet, but with each passing month, their number is growing," he said.
Ostapenko also mentioned that the OCU is present in the Lower Lavra – in the 70th building, where Lotysh and other "monks" of his organization reside.
He noted that the rights of the believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) are not violated because "monks of the UOC who have not decided on their position continue to stay within the walls of the Lower Lavra and also conduct services there."
As reported by the UOJ, the Ministry of Culture closed the entrance to the Lower Lavra for believers, teachers, and students of the Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary (KDAiS).
