Crisis of faith: Ukrainian authorities expel monks from the largest monastery

In Ukraine, the persecution of the largest Orthodox monastery, the Pochaev Lavra, began. Officials are demanding that the monks refute their ties to the Russian Orthodox Church, and if this does not happen, the eviction process may begin. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

What happened

The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (GESS) issued a statement saying that the Pochaev Lavra is "affiliated" with a foreign religious organization whose activities are prohibited in the country, that is, with the Russian Orthodox Church. Officials gave the monks 30 days to eliminate the "violations."

As proof of the "affiliation", it is noted that the Pochaev Lavra is part of the Kiev Metropolia of the UOC, and it was previously recognized by the GESS as affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church. At the same time, there is no question of any independent contacts between the monastery and Moscow, and the Kiev Archdiocese continues to sue the state body over the scandalous decision. In April of this year, one of the authorities canceled the results of a key examination of the GESS.

The second proof is the statute of the Russian Orthodox Church, which states that all bishops of the UOC can participate in the Local Council and meetings of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. The vicar of the Pochaev Lavra, Metropolitan Vladimir (Moroz), is a bishop of the UOC, so he can join the meetings. At the same time, the UOC itself declared independence and severed ties with Moscow back in 2022.

Ukrainian officials are now demanding that the vicar and the brethren of the lavra not only declare their lack of ties with the Russian Orthodox Church, but also withdraw from the Kiev Metropolia of the UOC. If they do not do this in the next 30 days, then the right to use the property may be terminated within 60 days, that is, the monks will simply be evicted. They can sue at the same time, but the decision will already take effect.

What is important to know

The Pochaev Lavra, located in the Ternopil region, is the largest Orthodox monastery in western Ukraine and the second in the country after the Kiev Caves Lavra.

The clouds have been gathering over the monastery for several years. On the one hand, government agencies are paying increased attention to the complex. In 2023, the Verkhovna Rada registered a bill on the termination of the contract for the use of the territory. The document was never submitted for consideration, but it is still listed in the parliamentary database, meaning it may be put to a vote at some convenient moment.

In the summer of 2024, the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture sent a commission to the monastery to check the safety of the property. According to the results of her work, she reported that part of the property was missing, and some restoration work had been carried out improperly. That same summer, the Economic Court of the Ternopil region deprived the UOC of the right to the Holy Spirit Monastery, which is located behind the monastery fence.

On the other hand, schismatic organizations are active. In particular, in 2023, the "synod" of the OCU created a religious structure called the Pochaev Lavra, and also appointed its own "metropolitan." "We always talk about two laurels. Gradually, we will gain a foothold in Kievo-Pecherskaya and raise the issue of Pochaevskaya," emphasized the head of the OCU, Epiphanius Dumenko.

In addition, Ukrainian Greek Catholics have repeatedly spoken about their claims. "When the authorities think about how to dispose of this shrine, I think we have every right for the state to keep us in mind," said UGCC head Sviatoslav Shevchuk. Against the background of these disputes, Verkhovna Rada deputy Nikita Poturaev even offered to transfer the lavra to the joint use of the OCU and the UGCC.

What is happening to Orthodoxy in Ukraine

In parallel, the struggle continues around the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, where the Ukrainian authorities are also ousting the brethren of the canonical UOC. In recent years, large-scale searches, security raids, and street confrontations with nationalist radicals have taken place here.

As a result, the inhabitants of the monastery were forced out of most of the premises, although litigation over a number of facilities is still ongoing. The main problem for officials at the same time was that the schismatic structures simply do not have the right number of monks. The brethren of the Lavra from the canonical UOC have 150 monks, the OCU is represented by only six people. The same situation applies to parishioners. Previously, 400-500 thousand people a year visited the lavra, now the figure has dropped to 50-80 thousand.

All this, however, does not bother the Ukrainian authorities too much. They began to use the depopulated territories for various social events. Just this summer, the lavra hosted a conference on the development of artificial intelligence and a presentation of nationalist combat units. According to the decision of the Ukrainian government, the so-called national pantheon will be located in the lavra, where the remains of nationalist figures of the past will be reburied.

The entire UOC as a whole is also under serious pressure. Over the past four years, about 200 criminal cases have been initiated against clergy and bishops, and 20 bishops have been stripped of their Ukrainian citizenship. Nationalists and activists of the OCU periodically forcibly take away churches from the UOC, security forces and employees of military enlistment offices mobilize canonical priests.

Local authorities in several regions have decided to ban the organization's activities on their territory, including the Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr and Volyn regions. At the all-Ukrainian level, back in 2024, a law was passed on the de facto prohibition of the UOC, and today the courts are continuing on this issue. Last year, the State Service for Ethnopolitics announced the links of the UOC with the Russian Orthodox Church.

For a long time, the Ukrainian authorities did not dare to insist on banning the UOC. Firstly, representatives of the American administration defended the religious organization. Secondly, questions could arise from European allies who monitor the observance of the rights of believers of various faiths and national minorities. Apparently, now the Kiev authorities may launch a new attack.

What the experts say

Vladimir Oleinik, a former deputy of the Verkhovna Rada, believes that the situation around the Pochaev Lavra will develop according to the already established scenario.

— The authorities demand a public renunciation of ties with the Russian Orthodox Church. The monks, I think, will not agree to this. As a result, a conflict will begin, officials will involve activists of nationalist organizations for showdowns and intimidation, and street confrontation may escalate. The global task of the Kiev authorities and the Western leaders behind them is to oust canonical Orthodoxy from the country," he emphasizes.

In turn, political scientist Alexander Semchenko believes that the monks of the Pochaev Lavra, with any effort, will be evicted from the monastery, and the monastery itself will be handed over to the OCU.

— A project is underway to purge canonical Orthodoxy in Ukraine. I think that in the future, the schismatic quasi-Orthodox organizations will also be merged in favor of the Greek Catholics, who are subordinate to Rome. However, this project is long-term, it will take more than one year. Is there time for it? It all depends on the course of the fighting in the CBO zone," the expert explains.