Narodychi court refuses to transfer UOC chapel to communal ownership

The Narodychi District Administration. Photo: esu.com.ua

The Narodychi District Court of the Zhytomyr region left without consideration the application of the Narodychi settlement military administration for the transfer of the building of the St. Nicholas Chapel of the UOC into communal ownership, reports «Suspilne».

The head of the settlement military administration, Oleh Yarmoliuk, stated that the court proceedings were prolonged due to the self-removal of two judges.

The first judge, Oleksandr Dibrova, recused himself as he is personally acquainted with Metropolitan Vissarion, who heads the Ovruch-Korosten Eparchy of the UOC.

The second judge, P. V. Dubovyk, also refused to consider the case, as one of the participants turned out to be his relative, a clergyman of the same eparchy. As a result, the case was transferred to Judge Iryna Pishchulina.

The administration's application was based on the claim that the chapel allegedly is an ownerless property and can be transferred to communal ownership.

According to local authorities, the chapel was registered in October 2023, and representatives of the OCU expressed their readiness to use this premises for worship.

Opposing this were representatives of the Ovruch-Korosten Eparchy of the UOC. According to them, the building was officially transferred to the eparchy by a decision of the settlement council back in 2015.

The rector of the UOC Church of the Apostle John the Theologian, Archpriest Volodymyr Petruk, noted that he has personally conducted services in this chapel for the past eight years and kept maintaining it in proper condition.

On April 29, the court issued a ruling to leave the administration's application without consideration. The basis for this was the existence of a property dispute between the parties, which should be considered within the framework of litigation, not by application.

According to Oleh Yarmoliuk, the settlement administration intends to file an appeal: «We plan to file an appeal. There are disputed documents. For example, we cannot currently find the original decision of the former Narodychi Council from 2015, and there are no protocols regarding the transfer of the chapel to the Ovruch-Korosten Eparchy».

«If the chapel is transferred to communal ownership, it would be good for representatives of another religious community to be able to serve there as well», Yarmoliuk noted.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that a new church was consecrated in the Zhytomyr Eparchy of the UOC.

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