MP threatens Volodymyr-Volyn Diocese of the UOC with “Cherkasy scenario” if the Church does not voluntarily give up its cathedral

Ihor Huz, a member of the Ukrainian parliament from the For the Future party, has threatened the Volodymyr-Volyn Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with a “Cherkasy scenario” if the church refuses to voluntarily leave the premises of the Holy Dormition Cathedral in Volodymyr-Volynskyi, which also houses the diocesan administration and a theological school. Guz believes that the diocese’s attempts to defend its interests in the courts are a “delay,” and that it will not be difficult for it to take the cathedral by force. The MP said this in an interview with the regional publication Bug.

“And if someone does not want to allow the state to take over after the court’s appeal decision, I would not advise it. We all remember how two months ago in Cherkasy, one of the largest cathedrals very quickly passed to the OCU, because the public took a clear position. I do not recommend that supporters of the Moscow Patriarchate play games. After all, it will not be difficult to gather people who will be ready to help the state restore their rights to the cathedral after the court decision. Therefore, I am confident that the issue will be resolved in the near future: the shrine will return to the state,” – the MP said.

Earlier, we reported that the Volodymyr-Volyn Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church filed an appeal against the decision of the court of first instance to expropriate the Holy Dormition Cathedral of Volodymyr-Volynskyi, which also houses the diocesan administration and theological school, into state ownership.