Six buses with alleged representatives of the Kiev Ptriarchy arrived at the Pochayiv Lavra in Western Ukraine at about noon. They have blocked the entrance and allow no pilgrims to enter, ITAR-TASS reports.
Orthodox Christians of the Volyn Oblast plan to gather and find out what was the problem. Valentine Marchuk, spokesman of the Volyn Eparchy, said that people were ready to guard the place, they were praying to prevent the events of the 1990s.
The Pochayiv Lavra was founded in 1240. A schism happened in the 1990s but the religious center remained Orthodox despite attempts to take it over.
