Kiev, July 20, 2020
Photo: rubryka.com
A petition to protect the Kiev Caves Lavra from being transferred to the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” has gained the necessary 25,000 signatures for consideration by President Vladimir Zelensky, reports the Union of Orthodox Journalists.
As of today, the petition, “To leave the Kiev Caves Lavra in the use of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and to reject petition No. 22/092966-EP,” published on the site of the President of Ukraine, has gathered 25,112 signatures, with 7 days left. Once a petition receives 25,000 signatures, it must be considered by the President.
“We, the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, as you, Mr. President, not to allow the attempt to illegally seize the Kiev Caves Lavra and reject petition No. 22/092966-EP, the purpose of which is clearly to mislead the President and incite interconfessional hostility,” reads the appeal.
Petition No. 22/092966-EP calls for the state’s agreement with the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church for the use of the state-owned Kiev Caves Lavra to be terminated in favor of the OCU, which the petition describes as an autocephalous Church recognized by the entire Orthodox world, created from the union of the “Kiev Patriarchate,” the “Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church,” and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.
The petition in defense of the Lavra first notes that the autocephaly of a church is irrelevant in terms of Ukrainian legislation. Moreover, it is not true that the canonical UOC merged into the OCU, the text of the petition emphasizes.
Recall that only two bishops from the UOC left the Church in order to join the OCU. And, from a legal point of view, the canonical UOC continues to exist and is still legally registered in Ukraine.
Additionally, it is factually untrue that the OCU is recognized by world Orthodoxy, the petition in defense of the Lavra highlights. Only the Patriarchate of Constantinople as a whole recognizes the OCU, while the primates of the Greek and Alexandrian Churches have also recognized it, though without Synodal decisions.
