MOSCOW. March 28 (Interfax) - The Synod of the non-canonical Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) asked the Ukrainian authorities on Tuesday to hand over to the OCU the facilities on the premises of Kievo-Pecherskaya Lavra.
At the same time, the OCU press service said its Synod expressed support for the authorities' decision to terminate the agreement with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on the use of the Lavra's facilities.
Moreover, the OCU hierarchs made another attempt to persuade the current monks of the monastery to join the OCU, calling on the brethren of the Lavra for "unity in the bosom of the Local Ukrainian Orthodox Church."
Previously, Ukrainian Culture Minister Alexander Tkachenko said that the monks of the Lavra "know very well what options they have to stay at the monastery."
As reported, Ukrainian authorities demanded that the monks leave the main monastery of the country before March 29, when the rental agreement on the buildings on its territory will be terminated. The pretext was the alleged violations of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the use of state property on the territory of the monastery.