MOSCOW, April 1 – RIA Novosti. Vadim Novinsky, a former deputy of the Verkhovna Rada, a businessman and a well-known church philanthropist, said that the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra could be transferred to the direct subordination of the Archbishop of Constantinople – the Ecumenical Patriarch of New Rome, the Patriarch of Constantinople. Bartholomew.

“According to available information, the authorities are considering the possibility of transferring the illegally taken Lavra to the direct command of Patriarch Bartholomew. In the summer of 2022, its representatives have already unofficially offered to voluntarily hand over the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra to the UOC, and Novinsky, Facebook * social wrote the Kiev Theological Academy, under the control of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, in his network, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople is considered the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians around the world.

Novinsky recalled that during his presidential campaign in the 2019 election, “95% of the UOC congregation voted for Volodymyr Zelensky in the hope that he would bring peace and stability and stop the persecution of the Church.” However, the businessman once again showed that he was “deceiving the voters”. According to him, personal responsibility for the current situation in Zelensky. Novinsky also denounced the authorities’ request for the canonical UOC to leave the Lavra buildings, comparing it to “all Bolshevik traditions”.

A new round of conflict around the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra began when the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture UOC reported that the monastery’s lease was unilaterally terminated, the monks were supposed to leave the Lavra on March 29. Ukrainian Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko said the monks can stay in the Lavra provided they transfer to the schismatic OCU. However, Metropolitan Pavel (Lebed), the abbot of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, said that he could not make concessions from the Lavra, that the brothers would endure to the end. He also said that it is impossible to unilaterally break the lease agreement on Lavra buildings, a court decision is required, and a lawsuit has been filed in the Kiev Economic Court regarding the inadmissibility of the termination of the lease agreement.

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia had earlier ordered the authorities to leave the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, which Orthodox Christians consider one of the earthly legacies of the Mother of God “a monstrous act”. He addressed the primates of local Orthodox churches, Pope Francis, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and other religious leaders and representatives of international organizations, with messages urging them to “make every possible effort” to prevent the forced and expulsion of monks. Closure of the monastery. Pope Francis also expressed concern about the situation in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and urged “parties involved in the war to respect religious sites”.

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