In the village of Kurozvany, officials back the seizure of UOC temple
A church of the UOC seized in the village of Kurozvany
In the village of Kurozvany, Rovno region, officials, under the pretext of inventory, helped supporters of the OCU capture the church,” reports a UOJ correspondent. Representatives of the Goscha District State Administration had no permits for the relevant actions.
At 5 am on March 1, 2019, the OCU activists began to come to the village temple. Protopriest Vladimir Koval, the rector of the Holy Protection Church, suspecting something wrong, called the police and representatives of the Rovno Eparchy of the UOC.
Closer to 9:00 am, representatives of the Goscha DSA arrived at the churchyard, ostensibly to make an inventory in the temple. The officials refused to meet the request of the lawyer of the eparchy to provide the relevant documents.
As it turned out, there were no relevant permits with the local authorities. According to eyewitnesses, representatives of the DSA Gomeniuk and Ivasiuk went to the district center for the permissive documentation, but they did not bring it.
As a result, supporters of the OCU broke the fence around the church, entered the temple grounds and cut locks. All this happened in the presence of law enforcement officers who did not take any action to stop the lawless actions.
Officials of the Goscha District Administration and the village head entered the temple, spent no more than 15 minutes there, allegedly taking an inventory. After that, the OCU activists went to the house of the rector, who had been serving in this village for 30 years, and demanded that he immediately leave the house.
The chairman of the village council stopped the dispute, saying that she had not issued permits for the privatization of the priest’s house, which means that sooner or later he should vacate the premises.
Protopriest Vladimir Koval invited the believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to the Divine service to be held at the church house this Sunday, on March 3.
As the UOJ reported, Goscha DSA officials made the first attempt to inventory the temple of the UOC religious community with the aim of transferring it to supporters of the OCU on February 21, 2019. At that time, believers of the UOC defended the temple, and the police sealed the church.
Read also
After Criticism from National Herald, GOARCH Shares Public Schedule of Pat. Bartholomew
Questions had previously been raised about the Patriarch of Constantinople's upcoming visit to the U.S., which initially had a schedule of meetings that was seemingly restricted to the more privileged members of the archdiocese.
Serbian Orthodox Priest: There Is Only One Canonical Orthodox Church in Ukraine — The UOC
Archpriest Slobodan Zeković affirms the exclusive canonical status of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under Metropolitan Onuphry and explains the Church’s stance on Holy Communion and intercommunion with other Christian communities.
Pat. Porfirije: The Church Must Resist Applause at Appearing 'Modern'
Serbian Patriarch warns against diluting the Church’s mission during visit to historic Belgrade parish.
Pat. of Jerusalem: We Must 'Serve and Guard the Holy Places'
"Our unity also has its fruits, which is the salvation of all," said Theophilus II. "Our unity guarantees the way and the means of salvation."
Met. Longin: Mobilization of Priests 'Lawless', a 'Disgrace'
"Today, they are taking our priests to war. They have no right to do this because we cannot then raise our hands to God—they will be stained with blood," the Metropolitan declared.
London ROCOR Cathedral Marks Milestone in Food Aid to Refugees and Needy
Cathedral food bank distributes nearly 2,800 boxes since launch in 2022.