Lotysh urges Lavra brethren to “come to their senses” and “return” to OCU
Avraamiy Lotysh used the tragedy at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra to demand that UOC monks join Dumenko’s structure.
On June 15, 2026, the Lavra’s “abbot” Avramii Lotysh addressed the monastery’s brethren with a call to “come to their senses” and recognize his organization. He justified this demand by saying that in wartime “the enemy strikes all of us,” without distinguishing questions of church unity.
In Lotysh’s view, the monks should “return” to the OCU so that, through “united efforts,” they can defeat the enemy; otherwise, it will continue advancing. He also called on the international community to condemn Russia’s actions against the monastery.
A hierarch of the UOC, Archbishop Jonah (Cherepanov), abbot of the capital’s Ioninsky Monastery, responded to this appeal. In his comment, he called Lotysh’s words “strange,” pointing to an obvious logical error.
The bishop reminded that people usually return to the place they left, whereas the Lavra’s brethren “have never been part of the structure created by Petro Poroshenko,” and accordingly, have never left it.
As the UOJ reported, Lotysh told a delegation from the United States about the “development of the OCU monastic community” in the Lavra.
