On January 19, 2023, Epifaniy Dumenko, during an interview on the Suspilne channel, stated that the Pochaev Lavra, as a stronghold of Orthodoxy in Volyn, must necessarily belong to the OCU.
“We always talk about two laurels. The process began with Kyiv, gradually, now we will gain a foothold in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and raise the issue of Pochaev,” he said.
“The shrine should belong to the Ukrainian people, the real Ukrainian Church should serve there,” the head of the OCU added.
