Officials demolish the building of the UOC temple In Ivano-Frankivsk

On February 10, the Ivano-Frankivsk city council decided to destroy by dismantling the temple, which was taken from the religious community of the Transfiguration of the Lord contrary to the decision of the UN Human Rights Committee. This is reported by the Religion Pravda.

When asked by journalists why the decision to dismantle was made so urgently – just a few days after the eviction – Director of the Department of Education and Science Igor Maksimchuk said, “I would not say it is fast. On the contrary, it may be too slow. For this is now a longdrawnout issue, 7 years in the courts. We are acting in accordance with the decision of the Supreme Court.”

At the same time, Maksimchuk admitted that the design and estimate documentation for a kindergarten, with which all these years the authorities covered up their main goal – to demolish the temple, are not ready for now.

The UOJ wrote that the legal proceedings around the Transfiguration church lasted for more than one year. Despite the fact that the UN blocked the decision to evict the Ukrainian Orthodox Church community in Ivano-Frankivsk, in October 2021, the mayor of the city announced victory over the UOC community, and on February 7, 2022, bailiffs evicted UOC believers from the temple. Members of the community took away the throne, the altar and sacred vessels from the altar, leaving the cross and domes on the building.

“Probably, the mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk will remove them,” the parishioners said.

Now the community of the Transfiguration of the Lord church in Ivano-Frankivsk is raising funds to buy a house or a land plot.

Read also

Moldova lacks capacity to maintain 800 temples it intends to seize from Church

According to the Minister of Culture, authorities plan to seize 800 churches from the Moldovan Church, but they lack the capability to manage them.

Court returns seized church to UOC community in Ivankiv

The appellate court declared invalid the re-registration of the UOC community of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the town of Ivankiv.

2,800-year-old seal with biblical symbols found in Israel

Israeli archaeologists have found a stone seal from the era of Judean kings with an inscription in ancient Hebrew.

Pope warns clergy against writing AI-based sermons

The head of the Roman Catholic Church warned priests about the risks of using digital technologies in ministry.

UOC parishes abroad hold memorial services on war anniversary

Clergy and faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church abroad prayed on the fourth anniversary of the beginning of the war in Ukraine.

Persecuted UOC parish in Tovtry performs reading of Great Penitential Canon

Another Bukovynian community, deprived of its church, continues Great Lent services in an adapted facility.