Ukrainian church to ban prayers in Russian
Prayers at the Kiev Pechersk Lavra should always be said in Ukrainian, the head of the recently formed church said | Prayers in Kiev’s iconic Pechersk Lavra should be said in Ukrainian from now on, the head of the recently formed Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) said on Sunday. The historic monastery was occupied by monks belonging to the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Ukraine (UOC) until recently. ● The monastery recently found itself at the center of a standoff between the UOC and the Ukrainian government. The Kiev-backed church now plans to hold prayers at the Lavra during the Orthodox Easter holidays, which are due to be celebrated next week. ● The head of the OCU, Metropolitan Epiphany, told the Ukrainian media that he would hold prayers in the monastery on Orthodox Easter next Sunday. Kiev registered the Lavra as an OCU monastery as long ago as December 2, 2022, on the day that President Vladimir Zelensky banned all religious organizations “affiliated” with Russia from operating in Ukraine.
■ This iconic Kiev monastery survived the Mongols, the Nazis, and the Bolsheviks – can it withstand Zelensky?
■ Kiev-Pechersk Lavra crisis to be the moment of truth for Ukrainians — official (04/02/23)