A Ukrainian court has ruled to return the Assumption Cathedral, which belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), to state ownership. During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that the transfer of the cathedral to the church was illegal due to its status as a cultural heritage monument.
"Prosecutors in court proved the illegality of the transfer of the Assumption Cathedral building. After all, the legislation directly prohibits the alienation of cultural heritage monuments that are state-owned," the report says.
Thus, the executive committee of the Kaniv City Council violated Ukrainian legislation back in 2003 and granted permission to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) to register ownership of an archaeological monument, which became the basis for registering the right of collective ownership.
"The court declared the decisions of the executive committee of the Kaniv City Council, the certificate of ownership of the building by the UOC (MP) illegal and canceled them, and also canceled the state registration of the property right to the cultural heritage object of national importance," the UCP noted.
The estimated cost of the Assumption Cathedral building is over 8.5 million UAH.
Since the court granted the district prosecutor's office's claim, the Kaniv City Council and the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC (MP) are obliged to comply with it.
As a reminder, on January 5, the Commission for the Acceptance and Transfer of the Assumption Cathedral and the Refectory Church in the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to the state completed its work. However, at that time, there was no binding court verdict regarding the Assumption Cathedral.
On December 26, 2023, the Vicar of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, Metropolitan Pavlo (Lebid), wrote an appeal to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, in which he complained that the church was taking away two temples on the territory of the monastery complex. In his appeal, the bishop claimed that the Assumption Cathedral and the Refectory Church had once been restored by the monastery brethren and believers.
The press service of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine reported on January 4 that on January 7, the Primate of the OCU, Metropolitan Epiphanius, will celebrate the liturgy on the occasion of the Nativity of Christ in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. It was noted that the service will be held in accordance with the relevant permit.
