Reserve threatens to forcibly evict UOC community from Kremenets cathedral

Cathedral of the UOC in honor of St. Nicholas in Kremenets. Photo: turson.at.ua

The Kremenets-Pochayiv State Historical and Cultural Reserve is demanding that the UOC community vacate the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Kremenets immediately according to a court decision. In case of non-compliance, officials promise to forcibly evict the parish and warn of criminal liability. This is stated in an official letter from the director of the reserve, Vadym Mykulych, addressed to the cathedral's rector, Father Vasyl Vozniuk. The document was published on the Facebook page of the Ternopil Diocese of the UOC.

The letter emphasizes that on October 2, 2023, the Western Appellate Commercial Court confirmed the decision of the Ternopil Regional Commercial Court of June 15 regarding the "return" of the St. Nicholas Cathedral to the reserve, making the court verdict "legally binding and enforceable."

"The reserve demands that the religious community 'Parish of St. Nicholas' of the Holy St. Nicholas Cathedral in the city of Kremenets execute the decision of the Ternopil Regional Commercial Court of June 15, 2023, and immediately vacate the premises of the St. Nicholas Cathedral with cells from the 16th-17th centuries," the document states. "In case of refusal by the religious community to voluntarily vacate the premises, the order of the Ternopil Regional Commercial Court will be transferred by the Kremenets-Pochayiv State Historical and Cultural Reserve to the state executive authorities for its forced execution. Part 1 of Article 382 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine provides for criminal liability for the deliberate non-execution of a judgment, decision, determination, or ruling of a court that has become legally binding."

As reported by the UOJ, the St. Nicholas Cathedral had been in the possession of the Orthodox community since 1832, the legal successor of which is the St. Nicholas parish registered in 1991. Ten years later, in 2001, the Kremenets-Pochayiv Reserve was established, and nationalized church property was placed under its operational management. In 2018, the UOC parish entered into a contract with the reserve for free use of the cathedral. In February 2023, the contract expired, and the Ministry of Culture, represented by the reserve, refused to renew the lease.

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