Court refuses UOC community of Nesterovtsy village in its right to temple

On April 19 Khmelnitsky Commercial Court considered a lawsuit filed by the UOC community of Nesterovtsy village, Dunaevtsy district, Khmelnitsky region. According to the UOJ correspondent, believers want to return the temple, taken over by the Kiev Patriarchate members in June 2016. The judge refused the UOC parishioners in their title to the church.

As the community lawyer told the correspondent, the judge motivated his decision by the fact that UOC believers did not present “sufficient documents to prove their right of ownership of the temple of St. Nicholas.”

The lawyer is preparing a statement of appeal to Rovno Court of Appeal.

At the moment the UOC community holds divine services in the building granted to them by local authorities – former tailor’s workshop.

The temple in the honor of St. Nicholas was “taken in” by the schismatic priest who had served in Nesterovtsy for 20 years. He passed to the Kiev Patriarchate when he had been prohibited to serve in church for misconduct.

The UOJ follows the developments.