On January 18, 2023, Epifaniy Dumenko, on the air of the United News telethon, stated that “in the future, the complex of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra will pass to the OCU peacefully.” This is reported by the publication delo.ua.

“The future of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra is to be fully in the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. First, we will serve on major holidays, and when the clergy of the Lavra is formed, when some of the monks from the Lower Lavra join us, then we will organize daily services. And already in the cathedrals, in the central Assumption Cathedral, services will be held every Sunday, ”said the head of the OCU.

He also added that for a certain period of time, representatives of the two churches will coexist on the territory of the Lavra. The OCU will continue to perform “worships” in the churches of the Upper Lavra, and subsequently it is planned to sign a long-term contract.

In addition, Epifaniy is sure that in the future “the Lower and Upper Lavra will be peacefully united under the auspices of the OCU.”

“There were a lot of hotheads who wanted to go and take. But our position was clear: we want to follow the diplomatic path. We will see that over time, the entire Kiev-Pechersk Lavra will be Ukrainian, ”said the head of the OCU.