AT NIGHT SCHISMATICS SEIZE TWO UPTs CHURCHES IN ROVNO DIOCESE
Press Service of Ukrainian Orthodox Church, 26 December 2014
The press service of the Rovno diocese reports that in the night from 25 to 26 December, two churches of the Rovno diocese were seized: in the village of Badovka, of Ostrog deanery, and in the village of Ptichya, of Dubna deanery. In particular, it was noted that muscular fighters of the Right Sector broke the door locks and invaded the church buildings. The initiator of the seizure of the church in the village of Ptichya is a benefactor of the Kiev patriarchate in Dubna district, Igor Zagrebelny.
Believers of these parishes repeatedly blocked the Kiev-Chop highway, but the action has remains unresolved for now.
Simultaneously on this same night in the village of Povcha of Rovno province there occurred an attempt by schismatics to seize a local church building. Despite the violent onslaught parishioners were able to defend their church. The diocese notes that the situation is heating up. (tr. by PDS, posted 26 December 2014)
SITUATION IN ROVNO: BELIEVERS BLOCK HIGHWAY
Pravoslavie v Ukraine, 26 December 2014
We received this report today from Rovno diocese.
"Tonight the seizure of two churches of our diocese occurred: in the village of Badivka (Ostrog deanery) and the village of Ptichya (Dubna deanery).
People in Ptichya blocked the Kiev-Chop highway. The police tried to drive the people from the road. There were fighters of husky build in the church.
In the village of Povcha tonight people did not allow the provocateurs into the church building. The situation is coming to a boil.
We have assembled our people in the deaneries
and we will go to defend the indicated church buildings. We ask
for your sacred prayers." (tr. by PDS, posted 26 December 2014)
ROVNO DIOCESE OF UPTs OF KIEV PATRIARCHATE DID NOT SEIZE CHURCHES
Official website of UPTsKP, 26 December 2014
On 26 December 2014, there appeared on the official website of UPTsMP a news report to the effect that in the village of Ptichya of Dubna district and the village of Badovka of Ostrog district "two churches were seized by schismatics." In connection with this, the press service of the Rovno diocese of UPTsKP, with the blessing of Archbishop of Rovno and Ostrog Ilarion, provides an official commentary regarding the above mentioned events.
Recently, seeing a gradual transfer of Orthodox parishes from UPTs of the Moscow patriarchate into the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev patriarchate, supporters of the former have tried to halt this process by their own fabrications and lies.
First of all, we recall that the parish of the UPTsMP in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God of the village of Ptichya of the Dubna deanery and the parish of the UPTsMP in honor of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene of the village of Badovka of the Ostrog deanery transferred into the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev patriarchate by majority votes.
Until today, the parish churches of the above mentioned parishes were sealed, because of which they did not have the possibility of conducting their worship services. From day to day the resolution of this problem festered although the case was constantly dragged out. Such actions disturbed people and therefore the parish decided to open their legally owned church buildings.
We emphasize that at the time of the opening of the church buildings there were no clergy of the UPTsKP Rovno diocese in the villages of Ptichya and Badovka. They arrived later for performing services on the invitation of the parish.
We also note that the parishes of the village of Ptichya and Badovka did not take their churches by force. The churches belonged to and they now belong to the people who reside in these villages and are their parishioners. In accordance with the constitution and the Ukrainian law "On freedom of conscience and religious organizations," each religious community has the right to freely select their adherence to one or another religious center. In this case, the UPTsMP parish in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God of the village of Ptichya of the Dubna deanery and the UPTsMP parish in honor of the Hoy Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene of the village of Badovka of Ostrog deanery left, in a legal manner, the jurisdiction of the UPTs of the Moscow patriarchate and entered the jurisdiction of the UPTs of the Kiev patriarchate.
The Rovno diocese of the UPTsKP is also open in the future to a constructive dialogue and cooperation for creating in Ukraine a united local Orthodox church. We wish that all misunderstandings between the churches of the two patriarchates would be resolved not by interconfessional conflict but by means of dialogue.
We believe that through the uniting of our
efforts, hostility among Orthodox Ukrainians will cease and the
peace and unity of our people will be achieved, and real steps for
the creation in Ukraine of a united local Orthodox church will be
realized. (tr. by PDS, posted 26 December 2014)
CHURCH DECLARES CHURCH BUILDINGS IN UKRAINE SHOULD BE INVIOLABLE, ESPECIALLY IN DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Interfax-Religiia, 26 December 2014
The Moscow patriarchate has called for putting an end to violence with respect to believers in Ukraine.
"I urge people who break into church buildings to stop, to realize, to feel that such aggression is completely unacceptable, especially in these days when the whole Christian world is celebrating Christmas," declared the head of the synod's Information Department, Vladimir Legoida, who was quoted on Friday by his press service.
He said that if one recalls the famous story by Nikolai Gogol "The Night Before Christmas," then it becomes obvious "whom those who put on black masks and attack God's house before the coming of the Savior into the world are associating themselves with."
"We hear hypocritical statements from those who allegedly stand behind these attacks, but no words either explain or justify violence against pious Ukrainian people who attend the canonical Orthodox churches with faith in order to pray for peace in their fatherland before Christmas," V. Legoida concluded.
As was reported, last night in Rovno province of Ukraine, supporters of the self-proclaimed Kiev patriarchate and representatives of Right Sector seized two churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Previously, six churches of UPTs have been robbed in this same region. (tr. by PDS, posted 30 December 2014)
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