Rector of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine Epiphanius is convinced that the OCU will receive an agreement on the use of churches in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. He stated this in an interview with NV.

“We started this process earlier. In June, the Synod decided to register a legal entity as part of the OCU - the Holy Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. We decided to follow the diplomatic path and proposed such a mechanism, although at that time no one fully understood that this could be realized as early as Christmas on January 7. Now we have indeed received two one-time permissions to hold services, because we still need to arrange legal nuances, but I am sure that we will also receive a long-term agreement for the use of two churches in the Upper Lavra: the Holy Dormition Cathedral and the Refectory Church,” said Epiphanius..

According to him, at first the OCU will receive one-time access to the temples of the Lavra, and will perform services only on major holidays..

“And over time, when our monastery is formed and a part of the brethren from the Lower Lavra join us, then we will put everything in order, adjust it, and then divine services will be performed regularly in the central Assumption Cathedral every Sunday, and already on the territory of the Lavra, divine services will be performed every. It is a matter of time,” added the head of the OCU.

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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. At the same time, Metropolitan Pavel (Lebed), who was supposed to sign the Act, did not appear at the last meeting of the commission. On January 7, the rector of the OCU, Metropolitan Epiphanius, held a divine service in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra for the first time. During the Epiphany, January 19, the service was held in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.