UOC believers in Kamianets sue the reserve not letting them into the temple

Representatives of the reserve hang their locks on the doors of St. Nicholas Church in defiance of the court decision. Photo: UOJ

Believers of the UOC in Kamianets-Podilskyi are suing the National Historical and Architectural Reserve "Kamianets" because its representatives are obstructing their use of the church. Despite the Supreme Court's decision in favor of parishioners, reserve officials have placed a lock on the doors of the church and are not allowing people inside.

Recall that the UOC community signed a perpetual lease agreement for the St. Nicholas Church with the Kamianets National Historical and Architectural Reserve in 1990. However, in February 2023, the director of the reserve unilaterally decided to terminate the agreement, citing a decision by the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) dated December 1, 2022, and an expert examination by the State Ethnopolitics of the UOC Charter "on the presence of church-canonical ties with the Moscow Patriarchate."

The St. Nicholas community appealed to the Supreme Court, which sided with the parishioners and overturned the decision of the Economic Court of the Khmelnytskyi Region on June 29, 2023, on the eviction of the UOC community and the transfer of the church to the "Kamianets" Reserve.

Now, the reserve is ignoring the decision of the highest court. The case regarding the demands of the community will be considered by the Economic Court of the Khmelnytskyi Region on February 29, 2024.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the rector of the St. Nicholas Church explained how representatives of local authorities tried to evict his community from the church despite the court's decision in favor of the UOC believers.

Read also

Bill banning LGBT and childfree propaganda adopted in Belarus

A bill in the Belarusian parliament provides for administrative liability for propaganda of homosexuality and childlessness. 

In women's monastery of Holovchyntsi village, monastic tonsure performed

In the Khmelnytskyi Eparchy, two nuns were tonsured into the lesser schema.

Finnish MP urges EU to repeal law banning criticism of LGBT

Päivi Räsänen stated that the "hate speech" law in Europe serves as a means for censorship.

Displaced children from Dnipro baptized at orphanage in Mukachevo

A priest of the Mukachevo Eparchy of the UOC performed the baptism of children from the "Barvinok" orphanage.

During Holy Week, Catholics celebrate Mass at Holy Sepulchre without believers

The RCC bishop, who was previously barred by police from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, was nevertheless allowed to conduct a service there on Thursday.

UGCC calls murder of TRC employee "particularly grave sin"

UGCC cleric Yustin Boyko emphasized that hatred against TRC employees is being artificially incited on social media.