In Romny, lawmakers blocked the allocation of land for the construction of an OCU church

The Romny City Council rejected a request from a religious community of the OCU to allocate a plot of land for the construction of a church in the Zasulya neighborhood. The decision, adopted at the 112th session on June 24, drew criticism from the OCU clergy, who view it as “an obstacle to the development of the Ukrainian church.” According to Romny24.info, the motion to grant permission to develop a land-use plan for a 0.5-hectare plot did not receive the necessary support from council members.

According to official data, the community of St. Panteleimon the Great Martyr of the Sumy Diocese of the OCU submitted an application for the land back in 2023. However, according to Vadym Polishchuk, rector of the Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God, local authorities have twice found reasons to deny the request. First, they cited a lack of documentation, and then they cited the territory’s status as a “green zone,” which, in the opinion of OCU representatives, is merely an excuse, whereas other land issues (for example, regarding small architectural forms) are resolved by the city council without significant obstacles.

OCU representative Ihor Muriy called the refusal “unfair and deeply disappointing,” emphasizing that this was not a commercial project, but “a small place of worship for divine services, baptisms, and weddings.” Councilmember Dmytro Menko, who initiated this appeal together with his colleagues, also expressed surprise at the local authorities’ selective approach. The issue remains unresolved for now, and community representatives are hoping for a public explanation from city officials regarding the reasons for the second refusal.

As a reminder, we previously reported that the Chernihiv authorities decided not to transfer the Transfiguration Cathedral to the OCU, despite its seizure from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). There are plans to grant this ancient 11th-century shrine museum status, similar to that of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv.