Ministry of Culture specifies why UOC is being expelled from Lavra

The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Photo: radiosvoboda.org

The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy published on its website a brief message about "violations" by the UOC, which "can be grounds for terminating the lease agreement for free use <...> of the buildings and other property" of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

The list of claims includes "unauthorized reconstruction, additional construction, redevelopment of monuments of cultural heritage and construction of new buildings on the territory of the reserve", "misuse of the 1914 basement", "inappropriate maintenance of a local architectural monument" - the book depository in building No 113. Which objects are in question (except the last one), the Ministry did not specify.

In addition, the monastery is accused of subletting the buildings of the Lavra to the Kyiv Metropolis and the Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church without the permission of the reserve.

The Ministry of Culture reminded the Ukrainian Orthodox Church "must leave the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra by 29 March".

As reported, the head of the UOC Informational and Educational Department, Metropolitan Clement, stated that no one saw the interdepartmental commission in the monastery, which allegedly checked the observance of the agreement on the use of the monastery buildings by the Church, and the authorities conceal the conclusions of the commission. Vladyka refuted the claims of the Ministry of Culture that "the monastery has harmed some architectural monuments on the territory of the reserve, that something was allegedly improperly maintained here and this caused the termination of the agreement for free use".

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