After the court decision on the transfer to the use of the Russian Ministry of Property of the Crimea, the property of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine Cathedral of the Holy and Equal-to-the Apostles Volodymyr and Olha in Simferopol was "looted and destroyed", Archbishop Klyment of the Crimean Diocese of the OCU told Krym.Realii.
After the court decision on the transfer to the use of the Russian Ministry of Property of the Crimea, the property of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine Cathedral of the Holy and Equal-to-the Apostles Volodymyr and Olha in Simferopol was "looted and destroyed", Archbishop Klyment of the Crimean Diocese of the OCU told Krym.Realii.
According to him, the Russian Ministry of Property and Land Relations of Crimea began "internal repair of the Cathedral.
"The situation is critical. Everything happened when I was outside Crimea. According to the court decision in 2017, 110 square meters of the first floor were seized. It was sealed and locked up. Simultaneously, the Church property was taken stock of and was stored there: chairs, icons, furniture, carpets, dishes, tables, cutlery. Now it's all looted and destroyed. Some of these things I saw in the dump on the street. Where have the other things gone I do not know," said the priest.
Archbishop Klyment associates the robbery of the Cathedral with his trip to the United States.
"They started the pogrom right at the moment when I was at the conference on religious freedom. It is Russia that shows to the whole world its attitude towards the global community and religious freedom," the hierarch believes.
The Russian Ministry of Property and Land Relations of Crimea did not answer the phone calls of Krym.Realii.
Reference: The community of the Crimean Diocese of the UOC-KP -- which merged into the Orthodox Church of Ukraine -- holds worship in the Cathedral of Sts Volodymyr and Olha in Simferopol.
In February 2019, the Russian Ministry of Property and Land Relations of Crimea demanded to vacate the premises of the Cathedral, explaining that the contract with the Crimean Diocese of the UOC-KP terminated.
On 28 June, the Russian-controlled Arbitration Court of Crimea ordered to transfer the building of the Cathedral to the use of the Russian Ministry of Property of Crimea. Archbishop Klyment of the Crimean Diocese of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine said he would appeal the decision.
In mid-June, the construction works were initiated by the Ministry of Property of Crimea in the building of the Church without the consent of the Crimean Diocese.