UOC Eparchy replies to the mayor who promised to expel parish from its shrine

Mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk Ruslan Martsinkiv. Photo: zahid.espreso.tv

On December 13, 2022, the Ivano-Frankivsk diocese gave an official response to the statement of the mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk Ruslan Martsinkiv, who promised to evict the community in honor of the Nativity of Christ from the premises of the UOC Cathedral.

The diocese reminded the mayor that the court opened a criminal case on forgery of documents and illegal registration of the OCU community, and the case is currently being investigated.

In addition, the press service of the diocese noted that there is no Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine: “Since October 1990, the UOC has enjoyed the status of autonomy and independence in administration with its center in Kyiv, and at the Council on May 27, 2022, it gained complete independence from the ROC.”

Also, the mayor was told that the Constitution of Ukraine guarantees the freedom of conscience and religion of citizens.

“Orthodox believers of the Carpathian region urge you to stop playing into the hands of the occupier, destabilize and divide society,” the Ivano-Frankivsk eparchy of the UOC addressed the mayor of the city.

As the UOJ wrote, the mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk promised to evict UOC believers from their church.

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