Head of the OCU Dumenko holds religious event in the Far Caves of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

On July 23, 2025, the head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Epiphaniy Dumenko, accompanied by representatives of the National Reserve “Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra,” including acting director Svitlana Kotliarevska, held a prayer service for the first time in the Church of St. Theodosius of the Caves, located in the Far Caves. The event also involved the so-called “abbot of the Lavra,” Avraamii Lotysh. This was reported on the official website of the OCU.

During his address, Epiphaniy claimed that the OCU’s “prayer” in the caves was a historic event and a symbol of the “liberation of the Lavra from the ‘Russian world’.” He expressed hope that the state and the Church would together complete the process of fully removing the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) from the monastery.

“After the service, the Primate venerated the holy relics of the Venerable Fathers of the Caves, resting in the Lavra’s Far Caves,” the OCU website stated.

It should be recalled that Epiphaniy Dumenko has previously referred to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church as “non-canonical” and “spiritually harmful.” Nevertheless, the leader of the Ukrainian schism once again called on the UOC to begin dialogue with the OCU without preconditions. Dumenko also accused the UOC of allegedly using force to prevent its communities from “joining” the OCU.