Kiev, August 11, 2023
Photo: president.gov.ua
Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon of the Patriarchate of Constantinople paid a working visit to Kiev yesterday. He held meetings with “Metropolitan” Epiphany Dumenko of the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” and President Vladimir Zelensky and visited the Kiev Caves Lavra.
Met. Emmanuel was earlier dispatched to Kiev in December 2018, when he presided over the so-called “unification council” that created the schismatic OCU.
His visit yesterday coincides with new state moves against the Lavra. In March, the Ministry of Culture arbitrarily broke its agreement with the Church for the use of the Lower Lavra, and on Wednesday, a Kiev Court upheld this decision. And now the police are preventing Orthodox parishioners and pilgrims from visiting the lower section of the Lavra, by order of the administration of the Kiev Caves Lavra Museum-Preserve.
Greek outlets were writing already last month that President Zelensky and Patriarch Bartholomew would discuss handing the Lavra over to Constantinople during the head of state’s visit to Istanbul early last month, although a representative of the Phanar said such reports were not true.
It is well known that Pat. Bartholomew granted the “tomos of autocephaly” to the OCU with the expectation of receiving various properties in return. The Ukrainian state already transferred the famous St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Kiev to Constantinople in 2018.
Photo: pomisna.info
And yesterday, Met. Emmanuel, the highest-ranking hierarch in the Patriarchate after the Patriarch himself, who has already been heavily involved in Constantinople’s interreference in Ukraine, paid a visit to the head of the schismatic OCU, during which Dumenko spoke on the phone with Pat. Bartholomew.
Met. Emmanuel then visited the Kiev Caves Lavra, where he was welcomed by one monk—Archimandrite Avraamy, who earlier apostatized from the canonical Church in order to become the head of the OCU’s own “Kiev Caves Lavra” brotherhood.
The same day, the hierarch met with Pres. Zelensky. The head of state then spoke about the meeting in a video address:
As for today’s meetings, which are worth mentioning publicly… I spoke with a representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Metropolitan Emmanuel. We are working at all levels and with all actors in global relations to implement the Peace Formula, in particular, to return children deported from our land back to Ukraine. I am grateful to the Ecumenical Patriarchate for its willingness to help.
Of course, as always, we talked about strengthening the spiritual independence of Ukraine and about spiritual peace in Ukraine. Our country is one of the historical centers of Christianity. And it will remain so. Ukrainians have managed to build a special format of religious relations in their home: Our country has a Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, which guarantees that all communities are respected, all communities can express their opinions to the state, and all communities can participate in solving socially important issues. The state will never allow any of the Ukrainian religious communities to be used by the aggressor state. Ukraine will endure, will preserve its independence—all aspects of independence, including spiritual. And I am grateful to everyone in the world who supports our country and our people in this.
Photo: news.church.ua
The President’s words about respect for religious communities comes just as one hierarch has been sentenced to prison, several others remain under house arrest, and the faithful are being prevented from attending services and praying in the Kiev Caves Lavra as the state prepares to fully evict the monks and the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church reported yesterday, with reference to the civil administration of the Kiev Caves Lavra, that access to the Lower Lavra is suspended starting today at 7:00 AM. Only monks, priests, and employees of the monastery are allowed.
Even students of the Theological Seminary and Academy, which are located within the walls of the monastery, were not permitted access to their dormitories for some time. The Church emphasizes that they have nowhere else to sleep.
Guests who have been staying in the monastery guest houses were also not allowed into the monastery, where they are storing their personal belongings.
Lawyers for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Kiev Caves Lavra are preparing to appeal the court’s ruling concerning the monastery.
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