Kyiv parish of UOC, restoring ancient church, responds to provocations

Believers are being hindered from restoring an ancient shrine in Kyiv. Photo: feodor.kiev.ua

The parish of St. Theodor the Sanctified of the UOC in Kyiv responded to the provocations of "activists" who are trying to hinder the restoration of an ancient shrine – the remains of the 19th-century Theodor Church in Lukyanivka. This is stated on the community's website.

The faithful emphasized that they are not destroying but preserving the entrusted site.

"The accusations of 'illegal fence replacement' are unfounded. The old wooden fence, which stood for over 15 years, has decayed and leaned. It posed a real danger to passersby and could collapse at any moment.

We received permission from the Department of Cultural Heritage Protection of the KCSA and installed a transparent modern fence at our own expense. Now the area is safe, and the historical remains of the church are open for viewing," the statement says.

The faithful of the UOC also responded to criticism over the cutting of trees, emphasizing that the impetus for this work was a dangerous incident that occurred in August 2022.

"A fragment of an old tree fell on a girl riding an electric scooter. Only the fence saved her from a fatal blow. The victim sustained serious injuries, was hospitalized, and underwent a long recovery.

This case showed that ignoring the emergency condition of the trees is dangerous for people's lives. We initiated a territory inspection together with 'Kyivzelenbud'.According to the conclusions of two official commissions, permission was granted to remove only four hazardous trees; the rest were to be pruned. After that, we planted more than ten new saplings," the parishioners explained.

In addition, the UOC parish stated that they use the territory and premises quite legally. They noted that in 2007, the Kyiv City Council decided to transfer the former church premises for the parish's indefinite use.

As reported by the UOJ, in Volyn, the media persecute UOC believers who are building a church instead of the seized one.

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