UOC appeals in court against DESS’s "expertise" of Church Statute
Kyiv District Administrative Court. Photo: sud.ua
The Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church appealed in court the "religious expertise" of the Statute on the UOC governance to determine church-canonical connection with the Moscow Patriarchate, conducted by the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS). The Kyiv District Administrative Court has opened proceedings on the Metropolis's lawsuit against DESS, reports the Legal Department of the UOC.
The Legal Department noted that the "expertise" that allegedly established that the UOC remained part of the Russian Orthodox Church was "conducted in violation of the law by biased and hostile to the UOC experts, who arbitrarily changed the subject and object of the study, resorting to manipulations".
Church lawyers are convinced that "such actions show the lack of objectivity and the intention to truly establish the real state of affairs regarding the church-canonical connection". They emphasized: "According to its statutory documents, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is independent and self-standing in its governance and structure, and its governing bodies – the Council and Synod – are located in Kyiv."
"Given the absence of any action on the part of representatives of State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, aimed at eliminating the violation of legal requirements, the Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has taken legal action in order to protect its rights.” the Legal Department commented. "We hope that in the near future, the court will make a corresponding decision, which will put an end to the use of unlawful expertise for the purpose of gross interference in the internal affairs of Ukraine's largest religious denomination, as well as manipulations aimed at defiantly violating the right to freedom of religion for 12 thousand religious organisations of the UOC and millions of believing citizens of Ukraine."
As earlier reported, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra submitted a similar lawsuit to the Kyiv District Administrative Court, but the lawsuit was not registered by the court.
Read also
Удар по Лавре вызвал у меня ярость, мы вернем войну в Рашку, – ЗеленскийTranslation:The strike on the Lavra enraged me, we will bring the war back to Rashka, – Zelensky
The President of Ukraine stated that the Russian strike on the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra filled him with rage, and promised to "bring the war back" to Russian territory.
Глава УГКЦ: Нас с Польшей разделяют не сами факты борьбы УПА, а мифы о ней Head of the UGCC: What divides us from Poland is not the facts of the UPA's struggle themselves, but the myths about it
Sviatoslav Shevchuk called for a return to the papal formula of reconciliation "we forgive and ask for forgiveness" and urged not to leave the topic of Polish-Ukrainian dialogue in the hands of politicians.
RCC priest killed in Sudan after reporting theft of medicine for the poor
In the Nuba Mountains, a Catholic parish cleric was killed by militants after reporting the theft of medicines.
DESS begins checking Pochaiv Lavra for ties to ROC
Viktor Yelensky signed an order to conduct a study into whether Pochaiv Lavra is affiliated with a religious organization banned in Ukraine.
Authorities show Honduran president and U.S. diplomat damage in Kyiv Lavra
The National Reserve noted that the involvement of international partners in documenting the destruction is of great importance.
First openly transgender U.S. lawmaker sentenced for child sex abuse
Former New Hampshire lawmaker sentenced to 33 years in prison for receiving explicit images of young children secretly taken at a daycare center.