Parishioners of seized UOC Cathedral in Khmelnytsky appeal to Europe
Church of the Intercession in Khmelnytsky, seized by the OCU. Photo: wikipedia.org
On April 20, 2023, the parishioners of the Holy Intercession Cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Khmelnytsky addressed the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassadors of European countries, as well as the UN System Coordinator in Ukraine and the Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine.
In their appeal, published on the telegram channel of the Khmelnytsky diocese of the UOC, believers informed the Plenipotentiary Ambassadors and high representatives of international European organizations about the recent illegal actions of local activists, who on April 2, 2023, with the support of local authorities, seized the Holy Intercession Cathedral of the UOC in Khmelnytsky, as a result of which the religious community of the UOC, against the will of the believers, was illegally transferred to the OCU.
In their appeal, the believers asked to pay attention to the ongoing discrimination on religious grounds in Ukraine and the systematic violation of the rights of believers and religious communities of the UOC in the Khmelnytsky region.
At the same time, believers of the Khmelnytsky diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church expressed their hope that the state and local authorities will comply with international legal obligations, in particular, to ensure the right to freedom of religion.
Earlier, the UOJ wrote that a fake was exposed in the media about the “beating of a military man” in the Khmelnytsky Cathedral.
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