Ternopil RC urges Ministry of Culture to seize Pochaiv Lavra from UOC

Pochaiv Lavra. Photo: news.church.ua

On March 22, the Ternopil Regional Council voted for an appeal to the Prime Minister of Ukraine and the Ministry of Culture demanding the termination of the agreement "On the free use of the Holy Dormition Pochaiv Lavra". It was concluded on December 12, 2003 between the State Committee of Ukraine for Construction and Architecture and the Holy Dormition Lavra of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and valid until 2052. This was reported on the website of the Ternopil Regional Council.

The deputies also appealed to law enforcement agencies with facts of violations of the use of land and to the government with a demand to dismiss the Minister of Justice due to "delaying the process of state registration of communities transferring to Ukrainian churches."

In addition, the Ternopil Regional Council petitioned to support the bill 7204 "on the prohibition of the Moscow Patriarchate in the territory of Ukraine." The appeal is addressed to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

As the UOJ reported, earlier Minister of Culture Oleksandr Tkachenko said that the state is working to terminate the lease agreements between the UOC and temples in Chernihiv and Pochaiv.

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