Prosecutor's Office demands Cherkasy RMA transfer four UOC temples to state

A courtroom in Cherkasy. Photo: suspilne.media

The Cherkasy Regional State Administration is being taken to court to be compelled to facilitate the transfer of four UOC churches into state ownership. These temples are architectural monuments of national significance.

According to the press secretary of the regional Prosecutor's Office, Iryna Sakun, in a comment for Suspilne, prosecutors have already filed the relevant lawsuits in court.

"It has been established that a number of religious structures in the region, which have the status of architectural monuments of national significance, do not have registered state ownership rights," she said.

Sakun clarified that “as a result, the state cannot exercise its rights as the owner: to possess, use, and dispose of these properties. This situation creates risks of uncontrolled use, illegal alienation, destruction, or even the demolition of the cultural heritage of the Ukrainian people.”

The churches in question are: the 18th-century Trinity Church in the village of Puhachivka; the Transfiguration Church in the village of Kornilivka (1738); the Dormition Church in the village of Zhabotyn (1851); and the rotunda Church of Saint Alexandra in the village of Lebedivka (1843).

Judicial proceedings have already been initiated in all cases.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that in Cherkasy, the "bishop" and clergy of the OCU serve in the vestments stolen from the UOC.

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