Court confirms "legality" of transfer of UOC church in Volyn to OCU

The Volyn Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the court of first instance, according to which the St. Nicholas Church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the village of Vetly, Volyn region, should be transferred to the OCU community. The court’s ruling confirms that the actions of the rector of the parish of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Archpriest Stanislav Skupeyko, allegedly illegally prevent parishioners from using their property. This is reported by the press service of the Volyn Diocese of the OCU.

It is reported that the court ordered the rector and believers of the UOC community to remove all obstacles to the use of the church, provide free access to the premises and hand over the keys to the head of the OCU community. Legal counsel of the diocesan administration of the OCU Yulia Spirina noted that documents have already been prepared to open enforcement proceedings. If the decision is not fulfilled voluntarily, access to the building will be provided by state bailiffs together with the police.

Earlier, we reported that Ukrainian MP Ihor Huz expressed his intention to take away a number of monasteries in the Volyn region from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church after the state completes the expropriation of the Holy Dormition Cathedral of the Volodymyr-Volyn Diocese of the UOC. The next targets for expropriation will be the Holy Dormition Monastery in the village of Zymno and the Holy Dormition Monastery in the village of Nyzkynychi.