The head of the OCU made a statement regarding the future of the Pochaiv and Svyatogorsk Lavras

In an interview with Radio Liberty, Epiphany Dumenko, head of the OCU, stated that the Pochaiv and Svyatogorsk Lavras would inevitably come under the jurisdiction of his organization. According to Dumenko, this process is part of a series of gradual changes taking place across Ukraine’s regions.

Dumenko described the Pochaiv Lavra as “the last outpost of the Russian Church in Western Ukraine.” He emphasized that, despite the current situation, he is convinced that the holy site will be transferred to the OCU, drawing a parallel with the situation surrounding the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The head of the OCU expressed confidence that, in time, “circumstances will develop” that will allow this process to be completed.

Regarding the Svyatogorsk Lavra, the head of the OCU took a more radical stance, calling into question the very status of this monastery. He claims that the decision to grant it the status of a Lavra was made in the interests of Viktor Yanukovych, and referred to the monastery as “one of the major monasteries in Eastern Ukraine.”

Dumenko emphasized that the transfer of both holy sites under the jurisdiction of the OCU is a matter of time, which will be resolved when “the Lord creates the conditions” for this transition.

As a reminder, earlier, Nestor Pysyk, head of the Ternopil Diocese of the OCU, expressed doubt that his organization would be able to gain access to the Holy Dormition Pochaiv Lavra in the foreseeable future. In his view, the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church intend to fight to preserve access to the shrine by all available means.