On August 11, Vakhtang Kipshidze, deputy head of the synodal department of the Russian Orthodox Church for the Church interaction with the public, gave an interview to the Russian publication NEWS.ru.
Among statements in the spirit of Russian propaganda and complaints about the “persecution” of the UOC (MP), he also made a comment about the future of the monks of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
Thus, an official of the Russian Orthodox Church said that the Russian church is ready to receive monks on the territory of the Russian Federation and resettle them in their monasteries. However, in his opinion, such a scenario is a last resort option and that it would be most correct if the monks “did not feel like strangers in their own country.”
Kipshidze also stated that the possible scenario of the UOC (MP) joining the OCU is more frightening than the destruction of the Odesa Cathedral.
It is worth noting that in the religious situation of Ukraine there have already been isolated cases where pro-Russian priests convicted for aiding and abetting the enemy were swapped for the captured Ukrainian military. The exchange happened if they wished to be swapped. Also, some priests and bishops of the UOC (MP) fled to Russia on their own because of their anti-Ukrainian position. However, none of them was prosecuted by the Synod. They are still considered bishops-at-large.
It should be recalled that the Court extended custody remand for Metropolitan Pavlo (Lebid) for two months.
