Military Base in Lviv Transferred to UOC-MP Despite Requests to Stop Transfer

According to a decree by the head of Lviv Regional State Administration, Oleh Salo, the property of a military base on Pekarska Street in Lviv was transferred to the religious community of the Lviv Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), ZIK reports.

The decree, “On the transfer of the property of military base 212 in the city of Lviv to the management of the Lviv Regional State Administration,” was signed to fulfill the order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated October 17, 2013.

“To transfer the property of military base 212 on 57-59 Pekarska Street in Lviv into the ownership of the religious organization of Lviv Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church,” reads the decree.

The director of the Department for Culture, Nationalities and Religions of the Lviv Regional State Administration has been assigned to make the transfer of the property in accordance with the applicable legislation.

Control over the execution of the decree was assigned to the first Deputy Governor Oleskiy Storchyl.

The Lviv City Council deputies requested that the Ministry of Defense prevent the exclusion of the military base on 57 Pekarska Street to the Moscow Patriarchate without involving the local government in the process.

Background

The property of military base 212, which is in Lviv on 57-59 Pekarska Street, is located next to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, which is used by Evangelical Christians. In 1992, the state passed it to the Good Samaritan Ukrainian Christian Mission of Revival and Mercy, which was formed by the Pentecostal Church. However, the state gave them only part of the sacristy rooms, which hampered the work of the mission. For several years the Pentecostal believers have been seeking the transfer of the premises of a single church complex, but to no avail.

Therefore, the Pentecostals were outraged by the proposal to transfer this complex to the UOC-MP. Pentecostal Bishop Vasyl Boyechko even made ​​a statement, in which he warned that the transfer of the military property to the Orthodox church would worsen the interdenominational situation in Lviv and hinder the European integration of Ukraine.

Deputies of the city and regional councils were against the transfer of the complex. In an open letter to the head of Lviv Regional State Administration, the regional council, and city council intellectuals called on the UOC-MP to take back their request and transfer the property to the community of the Church of Evangelical Christians, which has been claiming it for 21 years.

Metropolitans of two other Orthodox branches – Makariy (Maletych) of the UAOC and Dymytriy (Rudiuk) of the UOC-KP – were in favor of the possible transfer of the military base to the UOC-MP. In their letter to the head of the Regional State Administration, they asked to pass to this church the military base on Pekarska Street, citing the fact that the whole united Orthodox community of Lviv, which is the second largest religious community in the region, supports the decision.