UGCC usurps Roman Catholic churches in the west of Ukraine, – Metropolitan of RCC

The issue of usurpation of Roman Catholic shrines by Greek Catholics remains unresolved, said the RCC Metropolitan of Lviv Mieczyslaw Mokshitsky to the edition Gaudete.Ru.

Metropolitan Mieczyslaw Mokszycski stressed that the democratic Ukrainian government took the Roman Catholic churches and handed them over to other, illegal owners – just like the Communists used to act.

The Greek Catholic communities "accepted our temples without even asking us for consent. They did not have the moral right to do this. Now they are praying in illegally appropriated churches, one might say, stolen from other communities," he said.

According to the metropolitan, only in Lviv Greek Catholics were illegally given 23 Catholic temples, some churches were given to the Orthodox and even Protestants.

"The current situation cannot be explained by the fact that the alleged owner is not the UGCC, but a parish community of ten people. If, after the illegal transfer of the church, the bishop gives a priest to this community, then he confirms the appropriation of the church by the believers," he added.

Mieczyslaw Mokshitsky said that although "the issue of usurpation of our Roman Catholic shrines by Greek Catholics remains unresolved", Catholics are not going to waive their property rights to these churches.