Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church on Thursday called the planned evacuation of monks from a symbolic monastery in Kyiv under the authority of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UPC), which until recently considered itself affiliated with the Moscow Patriarchate, “terrible.” .

In full conflict with the Russian army, Ukrainian authorities last week demanded that all monks currently occupying the famous Kyiv Pechersk Monastery (Pechersk Lavra) vacate the site by March 29, AFP reports, citing Agerpres.

“The ultimatum of the (Ukrainian) state authorities regarding the Kyiv Lavra is a terrible act that can be compared to the oppression of faith during pagan times,” said Patriarch Kirill in a video message published by his press service.

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

Founded in the 11th century and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv, which opens on the banks of the Dnipro River, houses monks who are part of a branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church that was under the control of the Moscow Patriarchate. before the war

In May of last year, the UOC announced the severing of ties with Russia, whose Patriarch Kirill fervently supports the Russian offensive. But the Ukrainian government continues to consider this church actually dependent on Moscow.

Lease agreement, terminated. Kyrylo asks to prevent the evacuation

Last Friday, the Minister of Culture of Ukraine, Oleksandr Tkachenko, announced the termination of the lease agreement, according to which the church could rent a part of the Kyiv Lavra for free.

Patriarch Kyrylo called for “every possible effort” to prevent the evacuation of monks, which, according to him, “will lead to the violation of the rights of millions of Ukrainian believers.”

“This monastery stands at the origins of the common spiritual and monastic tradition of the Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian peoples. This is the cradle of our national civilization and culture,” reads the message of Patriarch Kirill.

Pechersk Lavra complex in Kyiv (Photo: © Jaysi | Dreamstime.com)

In the past, Kirill has justified the Russian offensive on Ukraine, claiming that the Russian and Ukrainian peoples are brothers who have been separated by force, especially by the West, AFP notes.

This view has been undermined by the Ukrainian government, which condemns the Kremlin-led post-colonial and imperialist conflict. Ukrainian authorities have intensified searches of churches and priests who are considered close to Moscow.

• Read also Code name “Mikhailov”: what Russian Patriarch Kirill was doing in Switzerland in the 1970s

The main faith in Ukraine is Orthodoxy. After the collapse of the USSR, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) had its own internal administration, while maintaining canonical unity with the Russian Orthodox Church. In May 2022, in the context of Russia’s war in Ukraine, with the support of the Russian Orthodox Church, the UOC publicly dissociated itself from it through changes to its charter, which granted it “full autonomy and independence.”

The UOC competes for believers with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, autonomous and founded after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, but recognized by the church hierarchy only in 2018, when it received autocephaly by decree of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.

• The Russian patriarch wrote to Pope Francis and other religious leaders of the world. What does Kirill want
• Pope Francis demands “respect” for the Pechersk Lavra monastery in Kyiv, from where the Moscow Patriarchate church has been ordered to evacuate

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