The Pope expressed concern about the situation around the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra

Parties to a conflict must respect religious sites. This statement was made by Pope Francis, commenting on the situation around the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

“I think about the Orthodox monks of the Kyiv Lavra. I ask the parties involved in the war to respect religious places,” he said (quote according to RIA Novosti).

The pontiff reminded that, no matter what confession the clergy belong to, they are “support for the people of God.”

On March 10, the leadership of the national reserve “Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra” obligated representatives of the UOC to leave the territory and buildings of the Lavra until March 29 due to the termination of the contract. This was reported in the warning of the acting general director of the reserve Alexander Rudnik, published on the website of the Lavra, later it was removed.

The letter said that since 2013, an agreement was concluded between the administration of the reserve and the male monastery of the UOC (MP) of the Holy Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra on the free use of religious buildings and other property. Rudnik, citing the conclusions of the interdepartmental working group and a letter from the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, said that the monastery violated the conditions for the use of state property.

March 11, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’ Kirill addressed to UN and OSCE Secretaries General António Guterres and Helga Maria Schmid, Pope Francis and other international and religious organizations with a request to prevent the forced closure of the monastery. The head of the Russian Orthodox Church noted that the monastic community is under pressure, including through searches that were carried out by special services in November 2022.

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that this time the United States will not be able to ignore the facts of religious oppression. The Kremlin also expressed concern over the current situation. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov urged respond to this “outrageous decision” of the world community.

On the eve, March 14, Minister of Culture of Ukraine Oleksandr Tkachenko declaredthat the monks of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) may remain in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra if they transfer to the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). Commenting on his words, Zakharova notedthat “religious freedom in Ukraine is being held hostage by gangsters on Bankova Street (a street in Kyiv where the office of the President of Ukraine is located. — Approx. Vedomosti)”.