Chernivtsi City Council continues attempts to arrange paid parking on the territory of the UOC Cathedral

The Chernivtsi city council has not abandoned attempts to set up a paid municipal parking lot on the territory of St. Dukhov Cathedral of the Chernivtsi diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The city council complains that the clergy and believers prevent the realization of this plan. About it reports “Suspilne.Chernivtsi”.

“This is the site near the Holy Spirit Cathedral of the UOC. At the April session of the city Council deputies transferred it to the permanent use of the City municipal contract road maintenance company for the arrangement of a paid municipal parking lot. The parking lot will be designed for 25 places. Now there is a parking lot, which is used by visitors of the church”, – stated in the message.

At the same time, the enterprise states that representatives of the UOC prevent the beginning of work on the arrangement of the parking lot. According to the representative of the institution, Chernivtsi diocese of the UOC filed a lawsuit against the city Council of Chernivtsi to cancel the decision to equip the parking lot on the territory of the Cathedral temple.

“In Facebook of the enterprise reported that the work on the arrangement of parking should have started back in the summer – in August on the site drove the enterprise’s machinery to apply markings, but against parking on the site were parishioners and priests of the cathedral. The court register says that the Religious Community of the parish of the Cathedral in honor of the Ascent of the Holy Spirit of the Chernivtsi-Bukovyna Eparchy of the UOC of Chernivtsi is suing the City Council to invalidate the April decision of the City Council to terminate the right of permanent use of land plots”, – added in the media.

Recall that the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, the relevant committee of the Verkhovna Rada and the State Service of Ukraine for Ethno-politics and Freedom of Conscience discussed further steps to influence the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in connection with the entry into force of the scandalous Law No. 3894-IX “On Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Sphere of Activities of Religious Organizations”, popularly nicknamed the law “On Banning the UOC”. As a result of the meeting, it was decided to create a special commission and conduct a nationwide audit of the property of religious communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which, apparently, the state plans to expropriate in the near future.