Supreme Court rejects UOC appeal over land under Ternopil Cathedral

UOC Cathedral in Ternopil. Photo: Wikimedia

The Supreme Court of Ukraine has dismissed the cassation appeal filed by the Ternopil Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church regarding the land plot at 1 Konovalets Street, where the Cathedral of Saints Faith, Hope, Love, and their mother Sophia is situated, according to Poglyad.

Court proceedings on the case had been ongoing since April 2023. The UOC’s diocesan administration had sought to retain its right to manage the 0.548-hectare land plot, which had been granted for permanent use on April 30, 2009. In December 2024, the eparchy filed a lawsuit seeking to prohibit the city council from managing the plot and to impose an injunction on the land.

The regional Commercial Court initially granted part of the claim, imposing an injunction. However, the city council appealed, arguing that the court had failed to assess all the evidence and had overlooked the fact that the land is municipal property, with no registered rights belonging to the UOC.

In its ruling, the Supreme Court stated: “There was insufficient evidence provided to support the claim that terminating the UOC’s permanent land use rights made it impossible to possess and use the property.”

Recall that in January 2025, the Ternopil City Council allocated part of the land beneath the UOC cathedral to a newly created namesake community of the OCU – an entity that in reality does not exist or operate.

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