The court demands that the UOC vacate premises of Yelets Convent
Yelets Convent of the UOC in Chernihiv. Photo: mcip.gov.ua
On October 26, 2023, the Economic Court of Chernihiv Oblast ruled that the presence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in the premises of the Yelets Convent in Chernihiv was illegal. This information was reported by the Ministry of Culture's press service.
As a result, the court rejected the lawsuit by the Chernihiv Diocese of the UOC, whose lawyers insisted on recognizing the contract for free use of the monastery as renewed.
The Ministry of Culture noted that within the monastery premises, there are the Assumption Cathedral, the Northern Cells, the Eastern Cells, the Southwest Cells, and the walls with gates.
"Since September 15, 2021, the administration of the Chernihiv Diocese of the UOC has been unlawfully, without any legal basis, using state property – the premises of the architectural monument of national significance, the Yelets Monastery," the department stated.
In a comment to the UOJ, Father Ihor, the secretary of the Chernihiv Diocese, had previously stated that the authorities had offered the UOC to enter into new agreements for the use of the Yelets Monastery. However, according to him, the new conditions involved a very high rental fee that the diocese could not afford.
The Yelets nunnery is home to over 40 sisters, some of whom are bedridden, and two-thirds of them are over 80 years old.
As reported by the UOJ, law enforcement officers blocked the monastery and two UOC cathedrals in Chernihiv.
Read also
Shevchuk tells Budanov of UGCC’s “state-building role”
The head of the Uniates told the head of the Presidential Office that his Church was ready to partner with the state and presented him with a book on the work of special services in the Church.
Authorities decline to disclose Ukraine’s population size
The State Statistics Service acknowledged that it has up-to-date population estimates for the country, but has decided not to make them public.
Lithuanian govt vows to protect Orthodox Church from Russian intelligence
Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry has called for curbing the influence of Russian intelligence services on the Church, while an adviser to President Nausėda warned against labeling the entire structure a security threat.
During Ramadan, Patriarch Theodoros hosts Islamic iftar at his residence
Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria hosted a meal for Muslim workers breaking their fast in the courtyard of the Patriarchate and thanked a sheikh for his “brotherhood.”
Lawsuit filed against Patriarch of Constantinople
A Turkish official has accused Patriarch Bartholomew and dozens of clergy of “illegal activity” and violating the Treaty of Lausanne.
OCU cleric buried with Church Slavonic funeral shroud
In the Ternopil Eparchy of the OCU, a cleric was buried under a funeral shroud bearing inscriptions in Church Slavonic.