UOC rep urges Ministry of Culture to cease sacrilege in “museum” churches

Culinary show in the Refectory Church of the Lavra. Photo: Facebook / Galimova

Mother Superior Seraphima (Shevchyk), Chair of the Synodal Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) "Church and Culture," sent a letter to the Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, N.S. Tochitsky, urging him to stop the sacrilege against Orthodox shrines that have been turned into museums, reports the UOC Information and Education Department.

In the letter, Abbess Seraphima expressed deep concern over the increasing frequency of secular events being held in places like the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and the Chernihiv Cathedral, restricting believers’ access to holy sites.

“In the Kyiv-Pechersk and Chernihiv reserves, believers are not allowed to visit the caves. For centuries, people from all over came to venerate the saints of God in these caves, for it was from there that the holiness of our ancestors shone forth to the whole world. Now, access for believers is possible only for a fee, as tourists. Regarding the holy relics, which for Orthodox Christians are a source of God's grace, officials speak of them only as exhibits, discarding their spiritual essence,” wrote the Mother Superior.

She emphasized that such an attitude toward shrines constitutes “sacrilege and desecration” and compared it to the practices of Soviet times.

The UOC called on the Ukrainian authorities to respect the spiritual value of Christian shrines and follow the example of other Orthodox countries such as Jerusalem, Athos, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, and Cyprus, where such places are revered and protected.

“Even Muslim states that use ancient Christian complexes as mosques do not commit such actions, respecting their sacred significance,” the head of the UOC Synodal Department noted.

She reminded that UNESCO also calls for “nurturing the spiritual identity of sacred monuments.” “Disregarding the original purpose of these centuries-old consecrated church walls runs counter to the true principles of museum governance, which are intended to preserve and develop the authenticity of these monuments as much as possible. Sacrilegious or purely secular attitudes toward them are unacceptable. Recent show programs within the walls of the Kyiv-Pechersk reserve have caused outrage not only among our believers and representatives of a significant part of the cultural community but also among clergy of various denominations,” stated the abbess.

She appealed to the Minister of Culture to address these facts and trends, which have sparked widespread public reaction. “Such actions harm the interests of the state and society, provoke negative reactions in the Orthodox world, and damage Ukraine’s image in the international Christian community,” concluded the Chair of the UOC Synodal Department “Church and Culture.”

As the UOJ previously reported, Bishop Feodosiy appealed to the director of the Lavra reserve regarding the show held in the Refectory Church.

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