Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Kiev: Ultimatum for cave monastery expires

The Ukrainian government’s deadline to evacuate the Cave Monastery in Kiev expires today. Around 200 monks and 400 students are expected to leave the site. The accusation against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church: espionage for Russia.

Worship in the Church of Saint Agapit Pecherskyi – one of the numerous buildings of the famous Kiev Pechersk Lavra whose golden domes gleam on the hills above the Dnipro. A magnificently dressed priest waves the incense and slowly walks through the high church interior decorated with old icons, colorful frescoes and gold. Hundreds of believers bow and cross themselves reverently.

Proceedings against UOK officials

Founded in the 11th century, the Cave Monastery is one of the most important sites of Orthodox Christianity. Today, the historical complex belongs to the Ukrainian state. However, it is also the headquarters of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOK). Although the latter broke with the Moscow Patriarchate in May last year, UOK chief Onufri called for an end to the “fratricidal war.” But his supporters are considered possible agents of Moscow. There are numerous proceedings against UOK officials – including for propaganda or espionage for Russia.

The Ukrainian government and the Ministry of Culture have terminated the UOK’s contract of use. On March 29, the approximately 200 monks and around 400 students of the spiritual seminary and the academy have to vacate the cave monastery, including the world-famous underground caves.

“Godless Orders of Politicians”

The reason is that the monastery violated the regulations on the use of state property, for example by converting the complex, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For Maria, who attends a service, that’s absurd: “I’m Orthodox and I can say that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has nothing in common with the Russian Orthodox Church. You may notice that I speak Ukrainian well and I love my country, but something like that the state shouldn’t do it.”

The previous head of the cave monastery is Metropolitan Pavel. The notice period could not be met, he said. The metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church compared the current situation with the October Revolution of the Bolsheviks and the particularly brutal Stalinist terror year of 1937.

He called on the believers to come to the cave monastery to see what the “impious orders of the politicians” would do, according to Pavel. “There must be no revolution, no incendiary devices must be thrown, we cannot throw stones, we can only pray. I cannot guarantee everyone’s safety because provocateurs could come.”

“Satan Has Entered the Sanctuary”

The Ukrainian Minister of Culture Oleksandr Tkachenko still sees representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate in the UOC, whose head is an ardent supporter of Putin. According to Tkachenko, the metropolitan of the UOC is not concerned with God and the believers, but with himself and his Mercedes. Both ministers and priests, as citizens of Ukraine, must respect the law. Even if they belonged to the clergy of the Moscow Patriarchate, Tkachenko said on Ukrainian television.

The minister ironically emphasized that the cupolas of the cave monastery had not turned black because of the termination for the UOK. The UOK had spread this devilish story, and the grey-haired Wassily Jossipowitsch is absolutely convinced of it. He earnestly points to the domes, which have turned black. “Before they were silver, and that means Satan has entered the sanctuary.”

“Patriots in Both Orthodox Churches”

Diagonally across the street in the Church of St. Feodosii Pecherskyi, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine celebrates a service. The second Orthodox Church formed after Ukraine’s independence. Here the preaching is not in Church Slavonic, but in Ukrainian.

Ihor is hurrying to the service, which is attended by far fewer people that day than opposite. In principle, everyone has the same God, he says. If the Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (Note d. editor.: what is meant is the UOK ) glorify war, that is wrong. “That’s why I think the UOK should leave the cave monastery.” An elderly believer with a mustache and a Cossack hairstyle says that there are patriots in both Orthodox churches in Ukraine. “God will assign us all a place.”

A ban would be difficult

The police are patrolling in front of the cave monastery. There is sometimes resentment when ID cards are checked, and there have not been any major incidents, says one curtly.

President Volodymyr Zelensky would like to have the Ukrainian Orthodox Church banned. Whether banning an entire church would be constitutional is a matter of debate. According to the current legal situation, that would be a lengthy process, since – roughly speaking – each parish would have to be banned individually.

Selenskyj commissioned the government with a draft law a long time ago. This should mean that religious organizations in Ukraine can only be active in the future if they are not connected to “centres of influence in an aggressor state”.