Uniates and Buddhists vote in UOC temple for the community to pass to OCU

Archpriest Rostislav Korchak, rector of the Intercession church in Bobrytsia village of, Kyiv region, told the UOJ about attempts to "transfer" the church to the schismatics. According to the priest, on June 5, 2022, supporters of the OCU came to the Intercession temple and brought about 250 extras playing the role of Orthodox. The priest said that, in addition to Dumenko's supporters, "Orthodox Buddhists" and Uniates came to the meeting, who declared themselves as "Greek Catholics against the ‘Moscow Church’."

“In general, the issue of the confessional affiliation of these people was resolved quite simply – those present were simply asked, ‘Are you Orthodox?’, and the crowd shouted ‘Yes!’ in unison. The question of whether they attend the local temple, i.e. whether they are its parishioners, wasn’t even asked,” Father Rostislav noted and added that he had never seen so many “parishioners” in his church.

The priest explained he did not want to go to this meeting, so as not to legitimize it with his presence, but nevertheless decided to show the participants of this "veche" documents confirming the new status of the UOC after the Local Council on May 27, 2022 and proving that the Church is completely independent and self-governing. He told the present that their meeting does not make sense, because there is no “Moscow church” in Ukraine. “I explained it and immediately left,” added the UOC priest.

According to the rector, the local authorities verbally do not support the violent seizure of churches, but in a personal conversation they “strongly recommend” priests to move to the OCU, “to find ways to break with Moscow.” Based on these recommendations, the deputies hold meetings and, under the guise of parishioners, transfer the churches of the UOC to the OCU. In the Belogorodka village council, whose administrative boundaries include Bobrytsia, a coalition of deputies has been set up, led by the “priest” of the OCU, which incites religious hatred and slanders the parishioners of the UOC church.

To "warm up" public opinion, deputies use manipulative techniques, the clergyman noted. “They come up with a question like this: are you for the Moscow Patriarchate or for the OCU? In the end, they get the desired result. However, the correct question is: are you for the UOC or for the OCU?”

Father Rostislav spoke about how the churches of the UOC were forcibly transferred to the OCU in the Bucha district of the Kyiv region: in Horenychi, for example, schismatics staged a brawl near the temple. “They closed the mouth of a female parishioner who tried to talk some sense into the raiders, tore out the microphone – and now the church is believed to have voluntarily transferred to the OCU,” the priest said. “In Luka village, people who attended a fictitious 'community meeting' tried to take away the St. Nicholas church, but its rector, Father Vladimir, did not give the keys. Now he is being threatened.”

At present, the threat of the raider seizure of the temple in Bobrytsia has not dissipated, it has only been deterred, the Archpriest emphasized.

As the UOJ wrote, the parishioners reported that the OCU was preparing to seize the Intercession church of the UOC in Bobrytsia.

Read also