The rector of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epiphanius, said that the OCU claims to stay in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, in the Assumption Cathedral of which he will conduct divine services for the first time tomorrow. In an interview with lb. ua he noted that with a request to provide for use one of the temples of the reserve, namely the Trinity Gateway or All Saints Church, the OCU applied back in June.

" But everyone was talking about the need to wait until the contract for the use of the Moscow Patriarchate for two churches, the main churches of the Upper Lavra, is completed,"

After the UOC agreement expired on January 1, the OCU claims to pray in the temples of the Lavra.

\? We strive for this, we ask and we will ask the state that the Orthodox Church of Ukraine also be present in the Upper part of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, have the right to use one of the churches or two churches, this will be decided by the state - either it is the Assumption Cathedral, or the Refectory Church of the Upper Lavra.

The Metropolitan added that the OCU had already taken the necessary step for this - it registered the legal entity "

“We would like to register at the address of the Upper Lavra, but from a legal point of view it was impossible to do this, so the temporary address is the address of the Feodosievsky Monastery,” says Epifaniy. - Therefore, the Civil Service did not give an answer for half a year,... well, it gave an answer, but it was constantly necessary to finalize the documents - that is, a corresponding decision was not made on purpose, but the decision was made by the previous head of this Civil Service - a legal entity was registered, and, accordingly,.

As for the monks, they are now being determined. Epifaniy says that there are a large number of those in the UOC who have pro-Ukrainian views.

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Recall, on January 5, Minister of Culture Oleksandr Tkachenko announced that the Commission of the Ministry of Culture had completed work on the acceptance and transfer of the Assumption Cathedral and the Refectory Church from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate on the territory of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra reserve to the state. He added that Metropolitan Pavel (Lebed), who was supposed to sign the Act, did not appear at the last meeting of the commission, but this did not prevent the return of state property.