On January 26, 2023, the clergy and brethren of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra addressed all the faithful children of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and assured that they were, are and will be “in the Truth and faithful to their canonical Church and its Primate.” This is reported by the Information and Education Department of the UOC with reference to the website of the monastery.

“Despite the fact that, according to Ukrainian law, “all religions, denominations and religious organizations are equal before the law; the establishment of any advantages or restrictions of one religion, creed or religious organization over others is not allowed,” we suffer harassment in our activities and religious life,” the appeal says.

“In the largest churches of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, we now do not have the right to perform services, namely: in the Refectory Church, which we completely restored and the Assumption Cathedral, which we literally raised from the ruins, is the largest international Orthodox shrine,” the inhabitants of the Lavra state.

The brethren of the monastery commented on the latest statements by the head of the OCU, Epifaniy Dumenko, in which he “expressed his own conviction that we, the brethren of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, would allegedly want to move to the OCU.”

“We assure you that we were, are and will be in the Truth and faithful to our canonical Church and its Primate, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy,” the Lavra emphasized.

The monks assured the believers of the UOC that they are making every effort to protect both the monastery and the invaluable experience of the monastic school that has developed over the long time of its existence.

“Therefore, if you hear from someone (whoever tells you) about a change in our position, do not believe it. We do not refuse, either in whole or in parts, from our creed, fanned with the holiness of past centuries, for the sake of constantly changing political manipulations, ”the appeal says.