16.05.2007, [19:34] // UOC-MP // RISU.ORG.UA
Sumy – The city council in northern Ukrainian Sumy (SCC) has approved a project for the construction of the first building of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) in the city. The press service of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) says the project was arranged by Sumy governor Pavlo Kochur, a Greek Catholic whose other actions it criticizes. pravoslavye.org.ua posted the news on 15 May 2007.
According to Stanislav Hradil, who submitted the construction project, the building is going to be constructed in the center of the square on Pryvokzalnoyi Street, where the New Year’s tree was usually set up.
pravoslavyye.org.ua posted the commentary: “Pavlo Kachur, appointed by Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, is a hardline Uniate [Greek Catholic]. Before his appointment he was an ‘orange’ minister and got on the nerves of the Orthodox in Kyiv by trying to ‘uniatize’ St. Sophia’s Cathedral and take away St. Cyril’s Church from the Orthodox faithful.”
According to a Greek Catholic priest who was present at the meeting of the SCC, Sumy has a rather large community of the UGCC, who either attend services of the Roman Catholic Church or the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate.
During the discussion of the project, concerns were voiced that the construction of a UGCC church next to the railway station may evoke indignation from representatives of other denominations. The SCC will make its final decision at the next meeting, when the issue of allotting land for the construction of the church will be discussed.
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