The Orthodox Church of Ukraine is confident that they will receive a long-term contract for the use of the temples within the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, namely the Holy Dormition Cathedral and the Tabernacle Church.
The head of the OCU, Metropolitan Epifaniy, spoke of this in an interview with NV.
“Now we have received two one-time permits for worship because we still need to settle the legal nuances, but I am sure that we will also receive a long-term contract for the use of two churches in the Upper Lavra: the Holy Dormition Cathedral and the Tabernacle Church,” explained the head of the OCU .
He drew attention to the fact that OCU followed a diplomatic path. At first, they proposed a one-time authorization mechanism. Vladyka admitted that until the end, no one was sure that the permit would be available on Christmas Day, January 7.
“We dreamed that we would perform divine services on the territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, our ancient Ukrainian shrine. We started this process even earlier. In June, the synod made a decision to register a legal entity as part of the OCU — the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra,” the head of the OCU explained.
So, for now, OCU will receive one-time accesses. It is about performing religious services only on major holidays. It takes time to achieve more.
“Over time, when our monastery is formed and a part of the brethren from the Lower Lavra join us, we will organize and adjust everything, and then divine services will be held regularly in the central Dormition Cathedral every Sunday, and divine services will be performed on a daily basis on the territory of the Lavra. It’s a matter of time,” assured Epifaniy.
