Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill on Thursday called "
monstrous
" the announced expulsion of monks from an emblematic monastery in Kiev under the authority of the branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church which, until recently, claimed to be part of the Moscow Patriarchate. .
In the midst of an armed conflict with Russia, the Ukrainian authorities demanded last week that these monks currently occupying the famous Lavra of the Caves of kyiv leave the place before March 29.
"
The ultimatum of the (Ukrainian) state authorities targeting the Kyiv Lavra represents a monstrous act comparable to the persecution of the faith in times of impiety
," said Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, in a message video published by its press service.
Make 'every effort' to avoid deportation
Founded in the 11th century and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Kiev Lavra, which overlooks the banks of the Dnieper, is home to monks who are part of the branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church subject before the war to the Moscow Patriarchate.
Their Church announced in May the severing of its ties with Russia, where Patriarch Kirill vigorously supports the Russian offensive.
The Ukrainian government continues to believe that this Church remains de facto dependent on Moscow.
Last Friday, Ukrainian Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkatchenko announced the termination of the lease that allowed this Church to rent part of the kyiv Lavra free of charge.
Patriarch Kirill called on him to make "
all possible efforts
" to oppose the expulsion of the monks, which he said would "
result in the violation of the rights of millions of Ukrainian believers
".
“
This monastery is the origin of the common spiritual and monastic tradition of the Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian peoples.
It is the cradle of our civilization and our national culture
“, he said.
In the past, Kirill justified the offensive in Ukraine by asserting that the Russian and Ukrainian peoples were brothers who had been forcibly separated, in particular by the West.
A point of view swept away by the Ukrainian government, which denounces a post-colonial and imperialist conflict led by the Kremlin and which has multiplied searches and prosecutions targeting churches and priests deemed close to Moscow.