Overview
- Ukraine’s State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience completed a formal review and found signs that Pochaiv Holy Dormition Lavra is a structural part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s Kyiv Metropolia with ties to the Russian Orthodox Church.
- The finding rested on the lavra’s charter and regulatory documents and on the Russian Orthodox Church statute that foresees the lavra’s leader taking part in ROC governing bodies.
- The agency said its order identifying signs of affiliation was issued under Ukraine’s Law on Freedom of Conscience, the law on protecting the constitutional order in the sphere of religious organizations, and the Cabinet-approved research procedure.
- Officials signaled they will send the lavra a formal instruction to remove the foreign links and warned that failure to comply could lead the service to sue to suspend the monastery’s legal status.
- The decision follows public appeals that prompted the June review and could trigger wider probes of other religious bodies with suspected ties to the Russian Orthodox Church, affecting how those communities operate and interact with courts and regulators.