Epiphany: Ukrainian Lavras are in spiritual occupation but they'll be OCU's

Holy Assumption Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Photo: kievtoyou.com

At a meeting in New York with members of the Ukrainian Institute of America and the Ukrainian Congress Committee in America, the head of the OCU, Epiphany Dumenko, stated that the Kiev Pechersk Lavra and other shrines of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church are under temporary spiritual occupation. Dumenko announced this on his Facebook page.

In particular, answering the question of the meeting participants about if it is possible to hope that in the near future the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra will go under the omophorion of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Dumenko said, “All Ukrainian shrines belong to the Ukrainian people. Now both the Kiev Pechersk Lavra and other national shrines are temporarily under spiritual occupation, but we believe they will belong to the recognized local Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU – Ed.).”

According to him, "today it is difficult to say how this will happen." But Dumenko emphasized that “the Lord will create the appropriate conditions” under which “Ukrainian shrines will belong to the Ukrainian Church and, accordingly, to the Ukrainian people.”

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that "metropolitan" Epiphany Dumenko said that "soon we will serve together, all together" in the Lavra, adding “we would not expel anyone from there."

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