Court halts process of involuntary renaming of UOC

The court has halted the process of involuntary renaming of the UOC

According to the Judges, making changes to the name of the UOC at the present time (before the court decision on the case) may lead to unjustified state intervention in the affairs of a religious organization. The press service of the court announced this in a statement, reports the “Ukrainian News” agency.

"The Kiev District Administrative Court made this decision based on an appeal that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church filed against the Ministry of Culture’s decision that required the Kiev metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and a number of religious organizations to change their official names and submit the relevant amendments to their statute for registration by April 26, 2019,” it says.

The court satisfied the application of the UOC, given that the renaming may significantly complicate or make impossible the restoration of the violated rights of the UOC.

In addition, in the court’s opinion, the implementation of the currently challenged act (until the case is resolved) may lead to unjustified state intervention in the activity of a religious organization as a legal entity.

At the same time, the court notes that the adoption of measures to secure a claim does not cause actual resolution of the dispute since it is aimed solely at preserving the existing situation until the merits stage of a case is over.

It should be noted that the court involved 265 religious organizations as third parties.

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