Cathedral service overseen by clerics independent of Russian-affiliated patriarchate for first time since 17th century
Dawn did not break over wartimeon Orthodox Easter Sunday. It was more that the darkness gradually paled, leaving the pinnacle of the 18th-century bell tower wreathed in a wan mist.
Easter has been celebrated on this spot since the 11th century, when monks from Mount Athos first hollowed out the rocky hillside to form their cells and shrines, establishing the lavra as the spiritual heart of eastern Orthodoxy., the Easter service was being conducted by clergy independent of the Moscow patriarchate. Or to put it another way, it was the Orthodox church of Ukraine rather than the Ukrainian Orthodox church presiding over the service.
But many of the monks stayed put and stayed loyal to the UOC – and Metropolitan Pavlo, the vicar of the lavra, decided to challenge the eviction notice through the courts., accused of inciting religious hatred and condoning Russian aggression against Ukraine – a decision he is appealing against. Before the service began, a young man, who did not give his name, said: “I just came here to look at this circus. They’ve taken it away from the true church. OK, it technically belongs to the state, but they never did anything to look after it.” He added: “Why are they checking people’s documents? They never did that before.”
In a complex, repetitive dance, the clerics emerged in pairs: one would swing the thurible, spreading the fug of incense; the other, white-robed with a red-and-gold sash across his body, would follow behind with a tall golden candlestick. Then came the great cry of “Christ is risen,” to which the congregation returned: “He is risen indeed.”
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