Palm Sunday marked at Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery

(9 Apr 2023) RESTRICTION SUMMARY ASSOCIATED PRESS Kyiv - 09 April 2023 1. Faithful attending Palm Sunday service at Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery 2. Priest celebrating service and holding candles 3. Women making the sign of the cross 4. Wide of church 5. Women holding willow branches symbolizing the palm, bowing and making the sign of the cross 6. Close of willow branches tied in Ukrainian flag colored ribbon 7. Priests celebrating service 8. Close of eagles on top of the chandelier inside the church symbol of the Russia 9. Wide interior of church 10. SOUNDBITE (English) Irina (no last name or rank given for security reason), Ukraine Armed Forces servicewoman: “It’s a very important holiday for me because it’s our tradition, and it’s about our peace, our independence, our believe in God, in peace, in our ‘peremoha,’ victory.” 11. Statue of Motherland monument and Ukraine flag seen from Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery 12. Buildings and domes of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery, Motherland monument on the right 13. Close of domes of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery 14. Various of priest throwing holy water to faithful 14. Close of cross on top of a monastery church 15. Wide exterior of church inside the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery 16. Faithful holding willow branches hugging each other and kissing outside the church 17. Building inside the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery 18. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Yulia Sencuk “Here they pray for Ukraine, for peace, for a quick victory, for our soldiers. And so it should be in every temple, in every corner of Ukraine. And I am very glad that this is finally happening, that the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is cleared of Moscow roots, and it is renewed, comes to life. And by these very events we are more likely to bring our victory closer.” 19. Various of police officers standing at the entrance of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery and checking people entering 20. Wide of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery STORYLINE: Ukrainians celebrated Palm Sunday at a famed Orthodox monastery in Kyiv recently at the center of a bitter dispute. At the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery, Ukraine’s most revered Orthodox site, the service was delivered in Ukrainian, while usually priests celebrate in Russian. Several Ukrainian servicemen attended the service. “It’s a very important holiday for me because it’s our tradition, and it’s about our peace, our independence, our believe in God, in peace, in our ‘peremoha,” said Irina, who was not allowed to give her rank or family name for security reasons, using the Ukrainian word for victory. The monks in the monastery belong to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which has been accused of having links to Russia. The dispute surrounding the property, also known as the Monastery of the Caves, is part of a wider religious conflict that has unfolded in parallel with the war. The Ukrainian government has cracked down on the UOC over its historic ties to the Russian Orthodox Church, whose leader, Patriarch Kirill, has supported Russian President Vladimir Putin in the invasion of Ukraine. Many Orthodox communities in Ukraine have cut their ties with the UOC and transitioned to the rival Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which more than four years ago received recognition from the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.  The UOC has insisted that it’s loyal to Ukraine and has denounced the Russian invasion. But Ukrainian security agencies say some in the church have maintained close ties with Moscow. =========================================================== Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...