Photo from UNIAN

Kyiv Pechersk and Pochayiv Lavras, which belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, will fall under control of the Ukrainian local Orthodox Church after Constantinople grants the Ukrainian Orthodox Church a tomos on autocephaly.

"There are two lavras: Kyiv Pechersk and Pochayiv. To whom will they belong? To the Ukrainian local Orthodox Church, because they are Ukrainian shrines and they cannot belong to a Russian church. If there is a single local Orthodox Church in Ukraine, while the other is Russian, it would be unnatural for Ukrainian shrines to belong to the Russian church. It would be unnatural and illegal," Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine Filaret said in an interview with Ukrayinska Pravda.

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"Therefore, both Kyiv Pechersk Lavra and Pochayiv Lavra will be transferred to the Ukrainian local Orthodox Church in due time," he said.

Earlier, Filaret said the Ukrainian local Orthodox Church was expected to receive autocephaly in July.