OCU Celebrates Patronal Feast in an Empty Assumption Cathedral of the Lavra

On the eve of the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which the OCU plans to celebrate on August 15 in the Assumption Cathedral of the Lavra, “transferred” to this structure, only about ten people gathered in the church. Among them were a few media representatives and people resembling tourists. Photos of the evening OCU “service” were published by various media outlets, including “First Cossack”.

The images from the cathedral show that only the “abbot of the Lavra,” Avraamiy Lotysh, accompanied by a few of his associates, were present in the center of the church, while the rest of the space remained empty.

According to believers, the current atmosphere inside the sanctuary sharply contrasts with the one that prevailed during the UOC period. In the past, the church was filled with hundreds of faithful before the patronal feast, but now it remains practically empty.

Earlier reports noted that Epifaniy Dumenko expressed hope that the monks of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church residing in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra would join the OCU and replenish the “brotherhood” of the Kyiv-Pechersk Monastery of the OCU. Dumenko claims that many UOC monks are already willing to switch to the OCU, but they need time to come to terms with the idea that the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra “will serve the interests of the Ukrainian people.”