Divine service in Kiev-Pechersk Lavra is held as usual, but the number of police at the temple has increased significantly

“The Lavra is now March 30, 2023. A service is underway in the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross in the nearby caves, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is led by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry. The doors are open for the passage of pilgrims, the passage of cars. The police are at the barriers. The temple is full of people”, indicates the message of the information service of the Telegram channel.At the same time, as the publication “Strana” notes, the number of law enforcement officers at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra on Thursday morning increased significantly. Thus, it is clarified that several police patrols are on duty at the main entrance to the territory of the temple, which inspect cars at the entrance and exit. Access to the monastery is free.The publication reports that starting at 6:30 a.m., the priests of the Canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) hold a divine service in the Lavra, which is attended by several hundred believers. It should be noted that the service is conducted in Russian. The service is headed by the Primate of the UOC, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine Onufry.Previously, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine notified the UOC of the unilateral termination of the rental contract of the monastery, the management of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra reserve said that the monks should leave the territory of the complex on March 29. The clerics had only one day to prepare. Ukrainian Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko said the monks could stay in the Lavra, provided they were transferred to the schismatic OCU.
At the moment, the Kiev authorities have not dared to force the clergy and parishioners of the Canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church out of the ancient sanctuary, as happened, for example, on Tuesday in a church in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, as well as a number of other churches captured by the OCU schismatics.Previously, the abbot of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Metropolitan Pavel, said that the Lord would not forgive Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the expulsion of more than 200 monks. “Do you think you can do this? The Lord will not forgive you or your family. Our tears will not fall to the ground, they will fall on your head. Woe to you. Be afraid,” the Metropolitan said.According to the cleric, the President of Ukraine could not stop the country’s Minister of Culture, who was obsessed with anger and hatred.Meanwhile, Zelensky, in his evening video message to Ukrainians, called what is happening a protection of society from “Muscovite manipulators of religion.” The politician added that Ukraine is “the territory of the greatest religious freedom” in the center of Europe.