Lavra reserve director complains about being in the midst of spiritual war

Maksym Ostapenko. Photo: Radio Kultura

The General Director of the National Reserve "Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra", Maksym Ostapenko, stated that legal proceedings regarding the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) have been ongoing for a year without any resolution, which prolongs the process and prevents significant changes to the situation, reports Espresso.

"So far, the situation has not fundamentally changed. Unfortunately, the judicial system does not seem to recognize that we are in the midst of a spiritual war, and for a year, the appeals have been ongoing."

According to Ostapenko, lawyers and attorneys believe the matter could have been resolved faster, but "procedural delays continue to drag things out." As a result, no judicial decision has been made over the past year.

"There have been constant recusals, objections, and any technical reasons to prevent the issue with the monastery from being resolved," he added, expressing dissatisfaction with the legal progress.

Nevertheless, the General Director emphasized that the rulings of the first instance courts were in favor of the Lavra. He also mentioned that only monks and a small number of military personnel currently remain on the lower territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

"But we cannot fully open public access because of the presence of an organization that is in court with us, namely the UOC-MP monastery," Ostapenko concluded, noting that the ongoing litigation is hindering the full use of the Lavra's territory.

As the UOJ previously reported, Ostapenko had earlier promised to show the public the "exhibits" of the Lavra.

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