OCU withdraws claim to evict UOC cleric’s family from their home in Volyn
UOC church in honor of the Martyrs Faith, Hope, Love, and their mother Sophia in the village of Rakiv Lis. Photo: pravoslavna.volyn
Representatives of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) in the village of Rakiv Lis, Volyn region, have withdrawn a lawsuit seeking to evict UOC priest of the Volyn Eparchy Archpriest Rostyslav Sizhuk and his minor children from the house where they reside. This was reported on the website of the Volyn Eparchy.
The decision to close the case was issued by the Kamin-Kashyrskyi District Court of Volyn Oblast on April 8, 2025.
The same court had previously ruled in August 2023 to evict the priest and his children. The Volyn Court of Appeal upheld that decision. In July 2024, the Supreme Court of Ukraine overturned the lower court rulings and sent the case back for a new hearing.
During the new proceedings in the Kamin-Kashyrskyi District Court, the OCU community of Rakiv Lis initially modified the claim and later withdrew it entirely.
As previously reported by the UOJ, the UOC community in Rakiv Lis was among the first in the region to be unlawfully re-registered under the OCU and lost access to their church. Later, UOC believers, together with Archpriest Rostyslav Sizhuk, built a new church in just seven months. On September 14, 2021, Archbishop Nathaniel of Volyn and Lutsk consecrated the new church in honor of the Martyrs Faith, Hope, Love, and their mother Sophia in the village of Rakiv Lis.
Read also
Met. Varsonofiy сelebrates Liturgy at persecuted UOC parish in Stryzhavka
A UOC hierarch officiated the Nativity service and offered prayers for peace in Ukraine.
Seized Dormition Cathedral in Volodymyr transferred from UOC to OCU control
Huz stated that after being handed to the OCU, the Dormition Cathedral in Volodymyr will be “Ukrainian and alive”.
In Brussels, Cardinal Parolin urges Europe to remember its Christian roots
The Vatican Secretary of State spoke at the Cathedral of Saints Michael and Gudula on the occasion of its eight-hundredth anniversary and recalled Europe’s spiritual mission.
388 mln Christians face persecution and discrimination over faith – report
The organization Portes Ouvertes has published research findings concluding that pressure on believers worldwide has intensified.
Archbishop of Albania: Orthodoxy is a key pillar of Albania’s European path
During a visit to Brussels, the Primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church underscored the importance of Orthodoxy for the country’s integration into the EU and for maintaining interreligious balance in society.
His Beatitude leads divine service at Lavra on Circumcision of the Lord feast
During the festive service at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, special prayers were offered for peace on the Ukrainian land and for God’s blessing upon the new year.