Volyn Council Member: The Situation with the Volodymyr Cathedral Requires Firm Court Decisions

Volyn Regional Council member Yuliia Vusenko commented on the ongoing court proceedings regarding the Volodymyr Cathedral, emphasizing the need for a clear and firm judicial decision. According to her, the sacred site should have long been transferred to the jurisdiction of the OCU. This was reported by the Insider Media news agency.

“Volodymyr Cathedral is a sacred site that should have long belonged to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. It is difficult to witness the manipulation from the lawyers and clergy of the Moscow Patriarchate,” Vusenko stated.

She noted that the side defending the interests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) referred to a 2020 ruling by the Lviv Court of Appeal, which granted a three-month postponement of eviction due to the need for inventory procedures. However, Vusenko argued that the current situation is critically different and cannot be judged by outdated precedents.

“We believe in the impartiality of the court, but the postponement of the decision until May 29 appears to be a deliberate delay of the process,” Vusenko emphasized.

It is worth noting that the Commercial Court of Volyn Region rejected the request of the Volodymyr-Volyn Diocese of the UOC to extend the eviction deadline from the premises of the Cathedral of the Assumption, which also houses the diocesan administration and a theological seminary. The church asked for a six-month delay, but the court ruled that the diocese must vacate the state-expropriated property by May 29.