The lawyer who defended UOC shrines in Chernihiv forcibly taken to TRC
Lawyer of the Chernihiv Eparchy of the UOC Oleksandr Shamko. Photo: news.church.ua
On October 5, 2023, military personnel forcibly took lawyer Oleksandr Shamko, who represents the Chernihiv Eparchy of the UOC (Ukrainian Orthodox Church), to a territorial military recruitment center (TRC). He had been documenting violations of the law by representatives of the Ministry of Culture during the sealing of the Holy Trinity and Transfiguration Cathedrals and the Yeletskyi Convent in Chernihiv. This information is reported by the Information and Enlightenment Department of the UOC.
The statement emphasizes that "such actions constitute a direct violation of Ukrainian legislation on the legal profession and an attempt to pressure and intimidate the believers of the Chernihiv Eparchy, who are being unlawfully deprived of world-famous Orthodox shrines."
As previously reported, on the morning of October 5, representatives of the National Architectural and Historical Reserve "Ancient Chernihiv," accompanied by law enforcement personnel, blocked the Holy Trinity and Transfiguration Cathedrals and the Yeletskyi Convent. Since February 2023, the reserve has been attempting to evict UOC communities from these shrines, and the Chernihiv Eparchy is challenging these claims in the Regional Economic Court.
Read also
Greece signs memorandum on protection of Jerusalem Patriarchate's shrines
Next week, the Greek Parliament will ratify a document on the protection of the cultural heritage of the Jerusalem Patriarchate.
Greek bishop calls imposition of same-sex marriage a threat
Metropolitan Seraphim of Kythera urged families to become a “domestic church” amid threats to the Christian family in Greek laws and school curricula.
Patriarch Bartholomew arrives in Budapest for opening of Orthodox center
The Ecumenical Patriarch has arrived in Hungary, where he will preside over the consecration of the Orthodox center "Phanarion."
OCU raiders stage attack on seized church in Kyiv, media
OCU "hierarch" Serhiy Horobtsov published a provocative post online regarding St. John's Church in Bykivnia seized by his people.