UOC: Lutsenko tries to pressure the court and local authorities in monastery case

"This event cannot be related to the meeting of the subcommittee, because there was no message on the official site of the committee on prevention and combating corruption, which includes this subcommittee, there was no agenda, there was only one deputy – Lutsenko, there was not even a quorum to held the meeting of the subcommittee," said Protopriest Alexander Bakhov. "In other words, no meeting of the committee took place. In fact, there was an event that was taken for the meeting of the subcommittee, since there are also no documents on voting and decision."

Father Alexander guessed the purpose of the event was to justify the arsonists of the Tithes (Desyatinny) Monastery, who for their actions face punishment - up to 15 years of imprisonment.

"I believe that this meeting, which took place within the legislative power, was convened with the aim of putting pressure on the court and the executive authority – the Kyiv City State Administration to induce its officials to illegally dismantle the Tithes Monastery," said the head of the UOC's Legal Department. "Besides, the meeting served as a platform for certain radical forces to call for unlawful actions against the UOC. We consider such actions illegal and unacceptable."

Regarding the lawful location of the Tithes Monastery on the territory of the National Museum, Protopriest Alexander Bakhov noted that according to the State register of real property rights, the ownership of the building is registered with the religious community of the UOC, therefore it cannot be demolished.

"If we talk about the order of improvement, the demolition of the so-called illegal constructions, first of all, no one has seen it, and secondly, given that it appeared more than 4 years ago, there is a reason to believe that the religious community acquired property rights somewhat later," said Bakhov. "Under such conditions, this order can be considered to have lost its effect."

The head of the Legal Department of the UOC explained that everything that is happening creates a dangerous precedent, which gives free rein to right-wing radicals and provides the opportunity to take juctice into their own hands with any temples of the UOC, which they consider unlawful.

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