Minister of Culture calls relics of Kiev Caves “museum exhibits,” threatens Church with criminal responsibility

Kiev, March 13, 2023

Photo: pravlife.org Photo: pravlife.org     

According to the head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture, the hundreds of relics that repose in the Near and Far Caves of the Kiev Caves Lavra are “museum exhibits.”

Conversely, the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church understand the relics as sacred items, and they come by the thousands to pray before them, seeking spiritual strength and consolation.

However, the Lavra has been under state control since Soviet times, and having declared the Ukrainian Orthodox Church a part of the Moscow Patriarchate, blatantly ignoring the council in May at which the UOC separated itself from the Patriarchate, the state is now intent on expelling the Church from the monastery.

The territory of the monastery is divided into the Upper and Lower Lavra. The Church’s lease for use of the Upper Lavra and its churches expired on December 31, and the state refused to renew it. And although the lease with the Lower Lavra is still active, the state is simply terminating it. The Ministry of Culture informed the brotherhood of the Lavra last week that they have until March 29 to entirely vacate the monastery.

Now the state is threatening the Church with criminal liability if it’s not satisfied with the “museum exhibits” in the Lavra.

Speaking in a telethon over the weekend, Minister of Culture Alexander Tkachenko said:

I would like to emphasize, just in case, that in addition to real estate, there are also museum exhibits, more than 800, including the relics of saints, which were transferred to the monks for use, and there will be a separate audit of how much they are preserved there.

I would like to warn … if the movable property, the actually museum exhibits, including relics, are somehow moved somewhere. The last review was in 2018, and all this was recorded, all objects are on the list. Any step that representatives of the UOC-MP can take regarding movable property, actually museum exhibits, will be recorded, and they will have criminal liability.

The Minister also said the monks know what they need to do to be able to stay in the Lavra, and then mentioned how he knows priests who have moved from the [canonical] UOC to the [schismatic] OCU.

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3/13/2023

See also
Russian Patriarch appeals to Local Churches and religious leaders about fate of Kiev Caves Lavra Russian Patriarch appeals to Local Churches and religious leaders about fate of Kiev Caves Lavra Russian Patriarch appeals to Local Churches and religious leaders about fate of Kiev Caves Lavra Russian Patriarch appeals to Local Churches and religious leaders about fate of Kiev Caves Lavra
The monastery has suffered numerous invasions and cases of persecution throughout its history, but it was only under the militantly atheistic government of the 20th century that the monks were driven out of the monastery, the Patriarch emphasizes. Thousands of Orthodox Ukrainians fill Kiev Caves Lavra as state continues to persecute the monastery (+VIDEOS) Thousands of Orthodox Ukrainians fill Kiev Caves Lavra as state continues to persecute the monastery (+VIDEOS) Thousands of Orthodox Ukrainians fill Kiev Caves Lavra as state continues to persecute the monastery (+VIDEOS) Thousands of Orthodox Ukrainians fill Kiev Caves Lavra as state continues to persecute the monastery (+VIDEOS)
The Orthodox faithful of Kiev came out in force on Sunday to worship and show their love and support for holy Orthodoxy. Ukrainian Orthodox Church fully expelled from Kiev Caves Lavra by end of March Ukrainian Orthodox Church fully expelled from Kiev Caves Lavra by end of March Ukrainian Orthodox Church fully expelled from Kiev Caves Lavra by end of March Ukrainian Orthodox Church fully expelled from Kiev Caves Lavra by end of March
The Church has been informed that it has until March 29 to leave the Lavra altogether. The Lower Lavra, which the UOC still had access to, is home to the actual caves, the monks’ cells, and the Kiev Theological Seminary and Academy. Kiev Caves Lavra appeals to all Orthodox monasteries for prayer Kiev Caves Lavra appeals to all Orthodox monasteries for prayer Kiev Caves Lavra appeals to all Orthodox monasteries for prayer Kiev Caves Lavra appeals to all Orthodox monasteries for prayer
On behalf of the monastics of the entire Ukrainian Orthodox Church, we ask for your holy prayers for peace, as well as to raise your voice with an appeal to those in power to put an end to the incitement of interfaith hatred in our long-suffering country. Kiev Lavra responds to schismatic claims: We’re loyal to the Church and Metropolitan Onuphry Kiev Lavra responds to schismatic claims: We’re loyal to the Church and Metropolitan Onuphry Kiev Lavra responds to schismatic claims: We’re loyal to the Church and Metropolitan Onuphry Kiev Lavra responds to schismatic claims: We’re loyal to the Church and Metropolitan Onuphry
Dumenko’s statement is part of the heavy state and schismatic propaganda aimed at completely evicting the Orthodox Church from the Lavra in favor of the graceless schismatics. Schismatics: We’ll get the whole Kiev Caves Lavra then go for Pochaev Schismatics: We’ll get the whole Kiev Caves Lavra then go for Pochaev Schismatics: We’ll get the whole Kiev Caves Lavra then go for Pochaev Schismatics: We’ll get the whole Kiev Caves Lavra then go for Pochaev
At the same time, the Uniate Greek Catholic church also has its eyes on the Pochaev Lavra, which they once occupied for a time in the 18th-19th centuries.
Comments
Cyprian3/13/2023 11:31 pm
For safe keeping I am sure Romania wouldn't mind taking back St Theodore of the Carpathians relics back.
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