Tensions in Kiev as iconic monastery faces closure

Kiev Pechersk Lavra, the largest Orthodox monastery in Ukraine, is the scene of heightened tensions as the standoff between the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church continues.

The Lavra monks received an eviction notice on March 10, with the Ukrainian Culture Ministry citing a ‘breach of the terms of the agreement on the use of state property’. The deadline came and went on Wednesday, with Ukrainian culture minister Aleksandr Tkachenko telling the monks they could stay, but only if they defected to the state-operated rival Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

Orthodox Christians were urged to gather at the monastery on Wednesday to protect the monks from the looming eviction. Thousands answered the church’s call, assembling at the monastery and praying in the courtyard. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government has vowed to step up its legal pursuit of an eviction, with President Zelensky saying the actions against the monastery were an important step ‘towards strengthening the spiritual independence of our state and protecting our society from cynical religious manipulations by Moscow.’

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