Pope Francis on Wednesday called for “respect” for places of worship in Ukraine, mentioning the Pechersk Lavra monastery in Kyiv, which the Russian-affiliated Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UPC) must evacuate at the behest of Ukrainian authorities, Reuters reports.

Kyivo-Pecherska LavraPhoto: Jaysi, Dreamstime.com

Ukrainian authorities have given the Ukrainian Orthodox Church until March 29 to vacate its headquarters in the historic Pertserskaya Lavra complex in Kyiv, the latest move against this branch of the Orthodox Church, which the government accuses of being pro-Russian and cooperating with Moscow.

Speaking specifically about the Pechersk Lavra, Pope Francis asked “parties to the conflict to respect religious places” and praised people who dedicate their lives to prayer, “regardless of denomination.”

The Pope made the announcement during his weekly address to the crowd in St. Peter’s Square. Apparently by mistake, he referred to the “nuns” of the Kyiv monastery, where Orthodox monks actually live.

On March 11, Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and a staunch supporter of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, appealed to Pope Francis and other religious leaders to persuade Ukraine to end its repression of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which is affiliated with the Russian Patriarchate.

Since October, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has conducted searches in UOC churches, imposed sanctions against some of its bishops and financiers, and initiated criminal cases against dozens of clergymen.

Church officials say the church and millions of its worshipers are victims of a witch hunt.

  • Read also: The Moscow Patriarchate refuses to evacuate the Pechersk Lavra from Kyiv

Orthodoxy is the main faith in Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, linked to the Moscow Patriarchate, has been competing for believers with an independent Orthodox church, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), founded after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, but recognized by the church hierarchy only in 2018 the year he received autocephaly.

This Moscow-independent church expanded and gained importance after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

(Source: News.ro, Agerpres) [Sursă foto articol: Jaysi / Dreamstime.com]

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