Buildings of Pochaev Lavra taken from monastery, returned to museum via abolishment of 2003 agreement

Pochaev, November 28, 2018

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Another blow has been struck against the Holy Dormition-Pochaev Lavra, as the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers has resolved to cancel the 2003 decision by which the buildings of the Lavra were moved from the Kremenets-Pochaev State Historical-Architectural Reserve to the free usage of the monastic brethren.

The decision was made during a government meeting today, reports Interfax-Ukraine.

In particular, the Cabinet of Ministers canceled ordinance No. 438 “On the Exclusion of the Buildings of the Holy Dormition-Pochaev Lavra from the Kremenets-Pochaev State Historical-Architectural Reserve,” dated July 17, 2003, which had transferred the Dormition Cathedral, Holy Trinity Cathedral, monastic cells, the bishop’s house, the bell tower, and the gates from the reserve-museum to the monastery.

Several attempts to take the buildings away and turn the monastery into a museum have been made in the past. The Pochaev Reserve recently attempted to register the buildings to itself, though this failed given that the 2003 agreement had already transferred the buildings to the monastery. However, having been refused registration, the Ministry of Culture then appealed to the Prosecutor’s Office to check the transfer of the buildings to the Lavra for free use. The Prosecutor’s Office then opened two criminal cases: one against the original registrar from 2003, and another against the registrar who recently refused to re-register the monastery’s buildings to the museum.

The Ministry of Culture’s appeal was satisfied by the Ministry of Justice on November 23, with the registration of the buildings to the monastery being canceled.

The Lavra brethren released a message comparing the government’s persecution of them to the tactics of the communist government of the 20th century.

As the statement notes, besides the churches, the buildings in question are home to more than 200 monks and 50 novices.

Following the cancelation of the registration, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s Legal Department, Archpriest Alexander Bakhov, had stated that the brothers could continue to use the buildings, noting that the 2003 agreement was still in force.

There has been no official response yet either from the Pochaev Lavra or the Ukrainian Orthodox Church as of the time of publication.

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11/28/2018

See also
“Communist Methods of Battling Against the Orthodox Church” “Communist Methods of Battling Against the Orthodox Church”
Response of the Brethren of the Pochaev Lavra to the Ministry of Justice’s Canceling of Their Rights to Several Churches and Buildings
“Communist Methods of Battling Against the Orthodox Church” “Communist Methods of Battling Against the Orthodox Church”
Response of the Brethren of the Pochaev Lavra to the Ministry of Justice’s Canceling of Their Rights to Several Churches and Buildings
We are compelled to state that at present the Ukrainian authorities are using communist methods of battling against the Orthodox Church. The authorities’ rhetoric has not changed for the past 100 years: The inhabitants of the Lavra remain for them “collaborators in the counter-revolution.” Using the controlled mass media, the current government plants this view in our Ukrainian people more and more every day.
Governmental and nationalistic provocations against Kiev Caves and Pochaev Lavras underway Governmental and nationalistic provocations against Kiev Caves and Pochaev Lavras underway Governmental and nationalistic provocations against Kiev Caves and Pochaev Lavras underway Governmental and nationalistic provocations against Kiev Caves and Pochaev Lavras underway
In a video posted on the monastery’s YouTube channel yesterday, the abbot of the Kiev Caves Lavra, His Eminence Metropolitan Paul of Vyshogorod and Chernobyl, spoke of violent provocations planned against the monastery in the coming months and urged all the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to strengthen their prayers for their holy Orthodox shrines.
“Assaults on Holy Places Will Not Go Unpunished” “Assaults on Holy Places Will Not Go Unpunished”
Sergei Geruk
“Assaults on Holy Places Will Not Go Unpunished” “Assaults on Holy Places Will Not Go Unpunished”
A Conversation with the Abbot of the Pochaev Holy Dormition Lavra, Metropolitan Vladimir (Moroz) of Pochaev
Sergei Geruk
There are innumerable examples of the intercession and help of the Theotokos, and every pilgrim and parishioner of the Lavra still experiences this aid. The Mother of God also appeared here in 1240 in a pillar of fire and left her footprint on a rock. She, like the burning bush, bore witnesses that this place is holy. She is the abbess here and the patroness of this land…

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