Court legalizes unlawful transfer of UOC parish in Vilne

St. Panteleimon Church of the UOC in Vilne village after "transfer" to the OCU. Photo: svoi.kr.ua

After the religious community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in honor of the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon was unlawfully transferred in the village of Vilne, Kryvyi Rih district, Dnipropetrovsk region, the faithful filed a lawsuit challenging the illegal transfer of their church. However, the court refused to grant their demands. This was reported by the Telegram channel Svoi. Kryvyi Rih.

UOC believers insisted that the individuals who initiated the transfer of their church to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine were not members of the existing religious community and had no authority to make decisions on its behalf. Nevertheless, according to the source, the court rejected the claim, effectively confirming the registration of the changes made in favor of the OCU structure.

As the UOJ reported, on May 14, 2023, in the village of Vilne, at a gathering of local residents near the House of Culture, a “decision” was allegedly adopted to transfer to the OCU the parish of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church dedicated to the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon. The event, presented as a “parish meeting,” was initiated by Maksym Krylach, a former UOC cleric who has been prohibited from serving. The meeting was chaired by local journalist Svitlana Romanenko. In addition to residents of Vilne, people from the neighboring villages of Radionivka and Lozuvatka also voted at the gathering. UOC believers did not take part. Earlier, at an actual parish meeting, members of the community confirmed their loyalty to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

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