Court opens proceedings at UOC suit on unlawful registration of OCU centre

District Administrative Court of Kiev. Photo: Radio Svoboda

On June 18, 2019, the District Administrative Court of Kiev moved forward with the administrative proceedings on the basis of the claim of invalidation and annulment of the decision on obligation to perform the actions, filed by the Kiev Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the UOC Legal Department reported on its website. The lawsuit was filed against the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and the State Registrar of the KP "Legal Assistance and Registration Centre".

The religious centre OCU was registered on January 30, 2019 in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, Individual Entrepreneurs and Public Organizations of Ukraine under the name “Kiev Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Orthodox Church of Ukraine)”. The Legal Department of the UOC, however, believes that the newly created structure had no legal grounds for registration under this name.

“The so-called newly formed OCU has no reason to be called the Kiev Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, not only because there has existed a religious centre with a similar name since 1991, but also because the primary document of title “Tomos”, which they are supposed to respect and implement, has attributed two names to the structure – ‘The Orthodox Church of Ukraine’ (OCU) and ‘The Most Holy Church of Ukraine’,” Archpriest Alexander Bakhov, head of the Legal Department of the UOC, explained back in February 2019.

If the court decides to satisfy the claim, it must cancel the decision on state registration of the legal entity with the name “Kiev Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Orthodox Church of Ukraine)” and the corresponding entry in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, Individual Entrepreneurs and Public Formations.

Currently, the Kiev Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is preparing to participate in the consideration of this administrative case in order to be able to quickly respond to any legal proceedings to be carried out by other participants in similar trials.

Earlier, Kiev District Administrative Court suspended the process of forced renaming of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

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