Another confrontation in Milcha: village head provokes conflict between communities of UOC and UOC-KP

The village head of Milcha village, Dubno district, Rivne region, provokes conflict between the two religious communities – of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and of the UOC-KP. The confrontation is caused by the decision of Zhytomyr Administrative Court of Appeal, which confirmed the right of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church community to the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin in vil. Milcha, seized by the Kiev Patriarchate, reports the UOJ correspondent.

The meeting in Zhytomyr Administrative Court of Appeal took place on 1 June. The court, once again, confirmed the illegal use of the church by the religious community of the UOC-KP.

At the court hearing, local officials promoting the interests of the UOC-KP behaved provocatively.  Milcha village head Yuri F. Mishchuk attended the court, accompanied by several local deputies and the "superior" of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin seized last year. According to eyewitnesses, the official behaved aggressively, slandered and gave false testimony – even the judge had to make objections.

The conflict has lasted from 22 December, 2015. The Economic Court of Rivne region issued a decision, according to which the community of the UOC-KP was ordered to remove obstacles in the use of the church to the faithful of the UOC, which has the title right.

Despite all the judicial decisions, the church, which belongs to the religious community of the UOC of Milcha village, is still available for use by the Kiev Patriarchate. So far none of the district or regional officials has intervened in the case to comply with the judgment, and the chairman of the village council regularly provokes discord between the two communities.

Read also