Volyn RSA decides how to evict UOC from occupied churches

The deputy temporary control commission for the implementation of the decisions of the Volyn Regional Council to ban the activities of the Moscow Patriarchate in the region held a regular meeting to consider ways to evict the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the occupied religious buildings. The buildings in question are the complex of buildings of the Holy Dormition Cathedral of the Volodymyr-Volyn Diocese of the UOC and the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the town of Kamen-Kashyrsky. The deputies of the Regional State Administration who participated in the meeting concluded that since the UOC does not want to leave the premises on its own, force will have to be used against the representatives of the Church. This was reported by the regional publication Volyn Online.

“The problem must eventually be solved. Because the longer it is delayed, the more it escalates and brings destruction to society. During the great war, the belief that we should have a Ukrainian government, a Ukrainian army and a Ukrainian church only became more firmly established. At the same time, representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-MP openly ignore the law, court decisions, and authorities. But we have to be persistent and make it clear that we will not give up,” – said the chairman of the commission, MP Volodymyr Bondar.

In his turn, Volyn Regional State Administration deputy Andriy Bokoch, who is actively lobbying for the eviction of the Volodymyr-Volyn Diocese of the UOC from the Holy Dormition Cathedral and the diocesan administration building, is convinced that the leadership of the religious community will not only continue to delay the release of the church in every way possible, but will also resort to provocations and incitement of believers to resist during the attempted forced eviction. He also drew attention to the fact that employees of the Volodymyr Department of the State Executive Service ignored the invitation to participate in the work of the commission, which, in his opinion, neglected their official duties and showed disrespect for local authorities. Therefore, the commission members voted for the Volyn Regional State Administration to organize a separate meeting with the bailiffs and to obtain a clear understanding of their actions to resolve the issue.