Appellate сourt сonfirms UOC’s right to a сhurch in сentral Odesa
Odessa Court of Appeal Panel. Photo: Screenshot from Archdeacon Andrey Palchuk's video
The panel of the Odesa Court of Appeal left the ruling of the first instance unchanged, recognizing the UOC community’s right to use the church dedicated to the Icon of the Mother of God “The Sign,” located on the grounds of the Odesa College of Trade and Economics. Archdeacon Andriy Palchuk of the Odesa Eparchy reported that the hearing took place on December 3, 2025.
The panel of judges reviewed a prosecutor’s appeal against the first-instance decision, which had affirmed the religious community’s right to use the church situated at the Odesa Vocational College of Trade and Economics. After several years of litigation, the appellate court upheld the earlier ruling and denied the prosecutor’s request to return the building to the ownership of Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science.
The Odesa Eparchy once again emphasized that the building was constructed and maintained with funds donated by parishioners, and that the church is actively involved in charitable work, assisting refugees, displaced persons, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. During the most recent hearing, the faithful gathered both inside and outside the courthouse, offering prayers for the preservation of the shrine.
As the UOJ previously reported, Ukraine’s Ministry of Education is attempting to seize the UOC church in Odesa, which was restored by the faithful after a missile strike and has been functioning for more than twenty years.
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