Volyn court denies 200 UOC believers participation in Myltsi Monastery case
The court allowed the Ministry of Culture and the Kovel District Military Administration to join the Myltsi Monastery case while rejecting applications from 200 parishioners.
The Commercial Court of the Volyn Region has denied approximately 200 parishioners of the UOC’s St. Nicholas Monastery in Myltsi permission to join as third parties in a lawsuit filed by the authorities seeking to seize the monastery complex, according to the BUG news outlet.
The court also rejected a motion to include the UOC’s Volodymyr-Volynskyi Eparchy in the proceedings, while agreeing to admit Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture and the Kovel District Military Administration as parties to the case.
The believers submitted individual applications to join the proceedings, emphasizing that their right to prayer and spiritual life directly depends on the monastic brotherhood’s continued presence at the monastery.
However, the court accepted the officials’ position that the property dispute concerns legal entities exclusively.
During the hearing, the monastery’s attorneys also challenged the authority of Roman Romaniuk, acting head of the Volyn Regional Military Administration, to sign procedural documents and represent the administration in court.
The Volyn Regional Military Administration is seeking to take possession of the monastery in the village of Myltsi, Kovel district, which was restored through the efforts of UOC monks, and to evict the brotherhood. The historic monastery complex includes St. Nicholas Church, the Transfiguration Church, monastic cells with a refectory, the abbot’s residence, and a bell tower.
As the UOJ previously reported, a UOC attorney provided details of the case against the Myltsi monastery.
