orthodoxrights.org

November 4, 2016. The Mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk said that Lviv Economic Court of Appeal settled the claim on cancellation of a lease with the Ivano-Frankivsk diocese of the UOC.

In the city with a population of over 250 thousand people there are only two temples belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, one of them the City Council of Ivano-Frankivsk decided to take. The Mayor’s Office is trying to adjudge of the building at Chornovol street 6 and 6B belonging to the diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. In that case the Orthodox citizens of Ivano-Frankivsk will be deprived not only a place for worship, as well as of the office of the diocesan administration, as reported by the Information and Education Department of the UOC.

On November 3rd the Mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk Ruslan Martsinkiv informed the public that the Lviv Economic Court of Appeal sustained the appeal of the Executive Committee of the Ivano-Frankivsk City Council on cancellation of a lease of non-residential premises with Ivano-Frankivsk diocese of the UOC.

The diocese confirmed that legal proceedings with regards to the premises at Chornovol street 6 and 6B have been going on for more than a year.

“Ivano-Frankivsk diocese had won one case before, which was reviewed in the economic court of the city. With regard to the decision of the court of Lviv, we haven’t received any documents”, – commented on the statement of the mayor Archpriest Vasily Romanyuk, the representative of the diocese.

According to Archpriest Basil, even in the 90s to the believers of Ivano-Frankivsk were treated better.

“Having deprived in the 90-ies the UOC believers of all the churches, we were given the opportunity to pray in this kindergarten. Today there are four priests in the church, ten men of the clergy in diocesan administration. A large religious community in the name of the Transfiguration of Our Lord has been praying in this room for 25 years – since 1991,” – said the priest.

Ruslan Martsinkiv argues that his desire is to return the buildings to the city and doesn’t hide the discontent by the fact that “they (the UOC) already have a new church on Dovzhenko street.”

It is worth mentioning that in a city with a population of over 250 thousand people there are only two temples in which Orthodox believers have the opportunity to pray. Over 25 years of independence, the city authorities of Ivano-Frankivsk, in violation of the law made it possible to build only one small temple in the city, despite the fact that other religions in that time have built dozens of places of worship. The diocesan management of the UOC had to rebuild the abandoned kindergarten as temple, since no land property in the city was provided.

In addition, the diocese suggests that the authorities might just be interested in land in the downtown. “It is possible that the desire to take possession of “a tasty morsel “in the center can be an occasion to expose residents to the street of their city who have been praying here for 25 years. And what will happen to the temple altar, cross and dome on the building”, – says Father Basil.

The diocese spokesman assured that the orthodox citizens of Ivano-Frankivsk will defend their legitimate rights. If the information on the cancellation of the contract is confirmed, the diocese will file a complaint to the Supreme Economic Court of Kiev, and will also sent a letter to international human rights organizations.