Pochaev Lavra calls for three-day fast ahead of trial on UOC ban

TheHoly Dormition Pochaev Lavra has urged believers to fast for three days and pray hard ahead of a court hearing that could lead to a ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). The hearing, scheduled for October 30, will consider a lawsuit to stop the activities of the Kiev Metropolitanate of the UOC, which could deprive the church of its central administrative authority.

The basis for the trial was a law adopted last August and directed against religious organizations that, according to the authorities, are linked to Russia. In May this year, the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (SSEC) launched a formal investigation into the structures of the UOC. Following the results of the inspection, the agency stated that the UOC retained its church-canonical ties with the Moscow Patriarchate, which served as the basis for filing a lawsuit in court.

In connection with the upcoming meeting, the Spiritual Council of Pochaev Lavra published an appeal calling for fasting on October 28, 29 and 30. “In these days, when the holy Church is facing trials …. we urge everyone – brethren, pilgrims and faithful children of the Church – to offer diligent prayer to the Lord, asking for His mercy and intercession,” the message reads. The monastery emphasizes that the court decision may directly affect the fate of the Lavra itself.

We will remind, in the morning of October 8, law enforcement agencies of Ukraine conducted searches on the territory of the Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra in Ternopil region. The investigative actions were carried out as part of a pre-trial investigation into criminal proceedings opened under the article on fraud committed on a particularly large scale.