In Volyn, the deputy commission decided to evict two UOC congregations from the occupied temples-monuments of architecture

On August 20, 2024, the Volyn Regional State Administration held a meeting of the temporary control commission established to expropriate real estate from religious communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the town of Kamen-Kashyrsky and the complex of buildings of the Holy Dormition Cathedral of the Volodymyr-Volyn Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church were at issue. According to representatives of the commission, the UOC community occupies these religious buildings illegally and should transfer them to the OCU. This is reported by Volynski Novyny.

“We are not talking about the religious situation and who belongs to which denomination. We are talking about state property that was seized by unknown persons. The function of state representatives is to protect this property. There is an architectural monument of national importance. If it is established who has the right to be there, then this person has a security certificate. Therefore, I am asking to open a case not about the church’s affiliation with another patriarchate, but about the fact that unknown persons seized property of national importance,” – said MP Volodymyr Bondar.

Following the discussion, the members of the commission and representatives of the relevant structures of the Volyn Regional State Administration agreed to provide all the necessary documents to law enforcement agencies to speed up the case and prepare the necessary conclusions.

“The Verkhovna Rada passed a law banning the activities of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine. Therefore, our goal is to review and analyze the violations and ensure compliance with the current legislation. The monuments should belong to the state, they should be preserved and protected,” – said Hryhoriy Nedopad, chairman of the Volyn Regional Council.

Earlier, the head of the Volodymyr-Volyn Diocese of the OCU, Matviy Shevchuk, called for the expulsion of the Volodymyr-Volyn Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the complex of premises of the Holy Dormition Cathedral in Volodymyr-Volynskyi, which also includes the diocesan administration and theological school.