OCU head appoints his superior at Kievo-Pecherskaya Lavra

MOSCOW. March 29 (Interfax) - The leader of the non-canonical Orthodox Church of Ukraine Epifaniy Dumenko has ordered Archimandrite Abramius (Lotysh) to perform the duties of superior of the Kievo-Pecherskaya Lavra monastery, the website of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) said.

Abramius Lotysh previously belonged to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) and was one of the Lavra's monks. After his appointment, he immediately called on the Lavra monks living there while belonging to the UOC to stay in the monastery after it goes under the control of the OCU.

Epifaniy, in turn, asked the Ukrainian government to allow the "Ukrainian Lavra" as part of the OCU to use the monastery's premises for church services, monastery activities and as accommodation for the monks. He expressed hope that the state would help "protect the superior and the monastery from possible provocations from followers of the Moscow Patriarchate."

The Ukrainian authorities on March 29 unilaterally terminated the lease agreement with the canonical church, demanding that the UOC leave the monastery.