Volyn RSA transfers two earlier seized temples to OCU

Holy Trinity Cathedral, Berestechko town. Photo: b1.culture.ru

On May 22, 2020, a new “religious” order of the head of the Regional State Administration was published on the website of the Volyn Regional State Administration – a document on the transfer of two religious buildings to the use of the OCU. It refers to the churches previously taken over by the schismatic structure: Holy Trinity Cathedral in the town of Berestechko, Gorokhiv District, and the church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the village of Borovychi of Manevychi District. This was reported by the UOJ correspondent.

The previous order, signed by the head of the Regional State Administration Yuri Poguliayko on transferring the church for use to the UOC community, which had been re-registered in favor of the OCU, was issued on March 31, 2020; it concerned the parish of Merva village, Gorokhiv district, in which one of the few voluntary transitions took place together with the rector.

As for the temples in Berestechko and Borovychi, the UOC communities have remained loyal to their confession despite the seizure of their temples and re-registration of legal entities.

It’s noteworthy that after the change of power in 2019, the “transitions” to the OCU in Volyn Region, as well as throughout the country, virtually stopped – with the last order for re-registration on November 18, 2019, signed by the acting Chairman of the Regional State Administration Alexander Kirichuk. So far, the final re-registration of the UOC communities in favor of the OCU occured on December 11, 2019 already by order of Yuri Poguliayko – upon the the transfer of communities to different dioceses of the OCU in the villages of Kutrov and Boryskovychi, Gorokhiv District.

The active transfer of the seized and re-registered temples of the UOC – architectural monuments – took place before September 2019 by orders of the head of the Volyn Regional State Administration Alexander Savchenko (respectively, March 15 and 29, June 7 and 12) and acting Chairman of the Regional State Administration Alexander Kirichuk (June 27, July 25, August 8, August 29). One order of August 9 was signed by the deputy head of the Regional State Administration Valentin Tsios.

As reported by the UOJ, earlier the deputy from Volyn called on the UOC "to repent and self-dissolve".

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