29 Mar 2023, 16:00

Kiev Pechersk Lavra monks not to leave monastery on March 29 or later — Metropolitan

It is underscored that there are no grounds for expulsion of the monks who live here and are registered here

MOSCOW, March 29. /TASS/. Monks from the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra will not leave the monastery, neither in the upcoming days, nor at any other time, because Ukrainian authorities have no legal right to expel them, says Metropolitan Clement, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Information and Education Department.

"As the mass media is actively musing about March 29 and the alleged expulsion of the monks from the Kiev Pechersk Lavra on this day, it should be stated that no expulsion can take place, neither on [March] 29, nor 30, nor 31, nor at any other time, because there are no legal grounds for the monks to leave the Kiev Pechersk Lavra," Metropolitan Clement said in his video address, uploaded to the UOC YouTube channel Wednesday.

He stated that the letter, sent by the "Kiev Pechersk Lavra" State Reserve, demanding that the monks leave the monastery does not constitute legal basis for their expulsion: that would require a court order, and there is none. The museum must file a lawsuit and, if it loses, it can appeal the ruling in two instances.

According to the Metropolitan, the forcible removal of the monks, should it happen, will be illegal and will simply become proof of a serious human rights problem in Ukraine, with the fundamental rights to freedom of thought and religion.

"There are no grounds for expulsion of the monks who live here and are registered here," the Metropolitan underscored.

On March 10, the "Kiev Pechersk Lavra" Reserve, managed by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, issued a notification that the lease agreement with the UOC monastery is void and that the clergy must leave the monastery before March 29. Later, reserve deputy CEO Konstantin Kraynik specified that the clergy must comply with the notification before 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday.

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