Will monks be expelled from Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra on Ascension Day?
The Lavra's lawyer, Fr. Nikita Chekman reported that on May 29, on the Feast of the Lord's Ascension, the new management of the Lavra Reserve is preparing to block the monks from accessing their own shrine.
And this is despite the fact that there are no legal grounds for this. There is an ongoing court battle regarding the eviction of the brethren, and there is no end in sight.
Events around the Lavra are escalating rapidly. On May 22, the Ministry of Culture unexpectedly fired the reserve’s director, Mykola Ostapenko – the very man who had earned “distinguished merit” for his zealous campaign against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in the monastery. Since summer 2023, Ostapenko had barred the faithful from entering the monastery, handed over Lower Lavra buildings to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), and even personally attended court hearings to expel the monks. But apparently, his zeal wasn’t enough. He was dismissed because, in the words of Culture Minister Rostyslav Tochyskyi, “the expected changes to rid the Lavra of the spirit of the Moscow Church have not occurred.”
Then, on May 27, the acting director of the reserve, Ms. Kotliarevska, met with Serhiy Dumenko (a.k.a. “Metropolitan Epifaniy”) at his residence. It’s abundantly clear this meeting was arranged either by the Ministry or by someone even higher up. At this meeting, Dumenko issued instructions – yes, instructions – to Kotliarevska, telling her:
• to “end the groundless presence of representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate in the Reserve’s buildings”;
• to grant the OCU access to the Caves.
It appears an order has been issued from the top: shut the Lavra issue down – and fast. The complete iniquity of this “shutdown,” and how grotesque it will look against the backdrop of Ukraine's portrayal as a “beacon of religious freedom” (try not to laugh), apparently concerns no one anymore.
And a special shout-out to those who keep waxing lyrical about the need for a “dialogue of love” with the OCU. Epifaniy has so much “love” to give, it’s more like a tidal wave – sweeping away everything in its path, including the Lavra.
