Lvov eparchy of the UOC comments on demands to dismantle the church

Lvov eparchy of the UOC has responded to the radicals’ demands who on January 28 organized a picket of the temple in a micro district Sikhov. The picketers cried out insulting slogans and assured that the church of the UOC had been built unlawfully and needs to be dismantled. The text of the statement is placed on the site of the eparchy.

"Lvov eparchy emphasizes that the said church was erected on this land plot in accordance with the Decision of the Executive Committee of Lvov City Council No. 333 of 29.08.1991 and the Decree of the Lvov City Council No. 1108 of 21.06.2001," the eparchy of the UOC says. “The right of placement on the land plot of this temple was confirmed by the decision of Lvov Administrative Court of Appeal, the decision of the Economic Court of Lvov region and the Supreme Administrative Court of Ukraine. Thus, the religious community of the UOC-Sikhov district in the city of Lvov, on the basis of the requirements of Art. 13 of the Law of Ukraine "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations" and on the basis of the current legislation of Ukraine regulating these legal relations, since its primary registration as a legal entity dated17.09.1991 to the present time, is endowed with legal capacity, from the moment of registration of the Charter, is the legal successor of the previous legal entity under the name: the religious community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the city of Lvov, Sikhov residential area, which is affiliated to the officially functioning religious denomination in Ukraine – Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Therefore, all accusations of representatives of "Svoboda" and other radical forces, which are trying to destroy the inter-confessional peace in Lvov, are absurd."

Lvov eparchy emphasized that in the vicinity of the temple of the UOC in the micro district Sikhov there is a church of the UOC-KP. At the same time, the communities of both confessions peacefully coexisted right up to the aforementioned trick of the radicals.

"The eparchy calls upon representatives of local authorities, political parties and the public to enable religious communities to decide for themselves their future," Lvov Eparchy of the UOC said in a statement. “We underscore once again that in Lvov there is peace and mutual understanding between all branches of Christianity and other religions, and that we demand from representatives of aggressive radical organizations to respect and not to gain political support by fanning artificially imagined conflicts. Interfaith peace and mutual respect for the religious beliefs of every inhabitant or guest of the city of Lvov is the highly spiritual property of the community of the city, which we honor and will definitely prevent its destruction."

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