Next week, an interdepartmental commission will meet to find out how religious organisations use state property, in particular in the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, Minister of Culture and Information Policy, Oleksandr Tkachenko, has said, as quoted by Ukrinform.
"An agreement was concluded in the days of Yanukovych on the indefinite use of the Lower Lavra by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (of the Moscow Patriarchate) in 2013, I guess. But next week an interdepartmental commission is to start its work to investigate how religious organisations use state property, primarily in the monastery," he said.
He recalled that this indefinite agreement was concluded by the government of Mykola Azarov. In addition, a 49-year agreement was concluded with the UOC (MP) on the lease of the Holy Dormition Pochayiv Lavra.
"The Svyatohirsk Lavra belongs to the Donetsk regional administration, and there is, accordingly, another decision. As far as I remember, there is also a perpetual lease or use. Therefore, in each of these cases it is necessary to make civilised, European, transparent decisions. Just as we made a decision to terminate the use of the Holy Dormition Cathedral and the Refectory Church," the minister said.
On 7 January, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epifaniy, held its first Christmas service in the Holy Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.
Before that, the Ministry of Culture permitted the Orthodox Church of Ukraine to hold the Christmas service in the cathedral.
According to the head of the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience, Viktor Yelensky, the OCU will continue to be able to hold services in the cathedrals of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.