Cleric of the Volyn diocese of the UOC, Archpriest Valeriy Pylypchuk, asks that the decision of the Gorodishchensky village council to ban the operation of churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on the territory of this territorial community be recognized as unlawful.

With a corresponding administrative claim, the priest went to court, the diocesan press service reports.

By its decision of June 23, 2022, the Gorodishchensky village council severely restricted the right of the community’s residents to “freedom of religion, to freely perform religious rites or conduct other religious activities.”

In accordance with the Constitution of Ukraine, the main legal document of all citizens, only the Law of Ukraine, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada, can restrict the right to freedom to profess any religion or not to profess any.

After all, neither the Constitution of Ukraine, nor the Law of Ukraine “On Local Self-Government in Ukraine” grants the right to the village council (including the Gorodishchensky village council) to suspend the activities of the UOC on the territory of the community for the duration of martial law.

Consequently, the decision of the Gorodishchensky village council is illegal and violates the rights of believers living in the territory of this community.

If the court satisfies an administrative claim, compensation for court costs and services of a lawyer is assigned to the Gorodishchensky village council.