Court transfers Pochaiv Holy Spirit Skete complex of the UOC to the state
Pochaiv Holy Spirit Skete Monastery. Photo: Raskolam
On August 14, 2024, the Commercial Court of Ternopil Oblast ruled to expropriate the complex of buildings belonging to the Pochaiv Holy Spirit Skete Monastery of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), according to a statement from the court's press service.
The court based its decision on the claim that the transfer of the architectural monument buildings to the Holy Spirit Pochaiv Monastery of the UOC was conducted with violations.
The Ternopil Regional Military (State) Administration filed a lawsuit against the local authorities, asserting that their decision to recognize the UOC's ownership of the Pochaiv Holy Spirit Monastery complex violated state interests.
The court ruled that decisions regarding the management of religious buildings or property are the exclusive authority of regional state administrations. Local self-government bodies do not have the authority to manage religious buildings or property. Consequently, the court declared the local authority's decision to recognize the UOC's ownership of the Pochaiv Holy Spirit Monastery complex as illegal, canceling both the state registration of these rights and the certificate issued to confirm them (Decision of the Commercial Court of Ternopil Oblast dated 14.08.2024 in case No. 921/788/23).
As previously reported by the Union of Orthodox Journalists (UOJ), Acting Minister of Culture Rostyslav Karandeyev stated that the Ministry is working on transferring the Pochaiv and Sviatohirsk Lavras to state ownership.
Read also
OCU explains why beggars are driven away from St. Michael’s Cathedral
A cleric of Dumenko’s structure admitted that beggars are not tolerated at the OCU’s main monastery because of their “high incomes” and the desire not to damage the site’s image before foreign tourists.
UOC Chancellor: Venerable Anthony founded a monastery, not a reserve
Metropolitan Anthony said that the attempt to turn the Lavra into a state preserve is, in essence, an attempt to lock living Orthodoxy behind a door.
Dumenko discusses countering hostile influence in spiritual life with PO head
The heads of the OCU and the Presidential Office touched on state-church relations and “spiritual security” in wartime.
Albanian Primate speaks about ways to resolve OCU problem
Archbishop John is convinced: disagreements between Moscow and Constantinople can only be overcome through love and dialogue, but not through choosing "sides".
National Memory Institute and SBU open exhibition on UGCC liquidation
An exhibition on the repression of the Uniates has opened in the capital, while state officials search for historical parallels with the present day.
OCU "priest" “allows” parishioners to use priest’s cassock for sex games
Ruslan Usmedinsky said that using a priest’s cassock as a prop for role-playing games can strengthen relationships between couples.