“And here the Church is to blame": Ostapenko said that access to the ‘lower’ Lavra is limited because of the UOC

The head of the National Historical and Architectural Reserve “Kyiv Cave Monastery” Maksym Ostapenko said that access to the territory of the “lower” Lavra is restricted because of the lawsuits that are taking place between the institution and the Holy Dormition Kyiv Cave Monastery of the UOC. The official complained that the judicial system does not favor the state in this matter. He said this in a commentary on the Espresso TV channel.

“So far, the situation has not changed radically. Unfortunately, the judiciary does not feel that we are in a spiritual war, and appeals have been going on for a year. There are constant recusals, disqualifications, and any technical excuses to prevent the situation with the monastery from being resolved. But we cannot open general access because of the presence of an organization that is in court with us, that is, with the UOC-MP monastery,” — Ostapenko said.

Earlier, an employee of the National Reserve “Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra” and, at the same time, the abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Monastery of the OCU, Abraham Lotysh, complained that the OCU is forced to pay rent for staying in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Lotysh claims that the “OCU monastery” pays about 40 thousand hryvnias per month for the use of the Lavra premises.