UOC to defend its right to land under cathedral in Ternopil

UOC Cathedral in Ternopil. Photo: Azbuka Very

Metropolitan Clement of Nizhyn and Pryluky, Chairman of the Information and Education Department of the UOC, said that UOC lawyers would challenge the decision of the Ternopil Western Appellate Court, which deprived the UOC community of the right to use the land plot under the Cathedral of the Holy Martyrs Vera, Nadezhda, Liubov, and their mother Sophia, reports Suspilne.

"In 2023, some city and regional councils made decisions and statements that were more political than legal, depriving the UOC communities of the right to land plots and religious buildings. In Ternopil, the city council, by making such decisions, clearly understood that they could not have legal consequences. This was confirmed by the Ternopil Commercial Court, which proved that the UOC community legally uses the land plot provided to it on all legal grounds. However, today we have a decision from the Lviv Appellate Court, which will be examined by lawyers from both the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Ternopil Diocese," stated Metropolitan Clement.

He reported that UOC lawyers would demonstrate that the Lviv Appellate Court did not consider many aspects favoring the religious community and their right to use the land plot legally provided to them.

As previously reported by UOJ, in June, judges overturned the previous decision in favor of the UOC religious community and made a new decision that makes it impossible for the UOC community to use the cathedral.

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