PROPERTY CONFLICTS BETWEEN UPTsKP AND UPTsMP RESUMED IN KHERSON AND ROVNO PROVINCES
Religiia v Ukraine, 20 April 2015
Parishes of the UPTs of the Moscow [and Kiev] patriarchates are exchanging mutual accusations of attempts to seize church buildings in the Kherson and Rovno provinces, Religiia v Ukraine reports.
The website of the UPTsMP says: "On 6 March 2015 in the village of Preobrazhenka of the Chaplin district of Kherson province, an illegal 'reattachment' of the local parish of UPTs consecrated to Saints Joachim and Anna into the uncanonical jurisdiction of the UPTsKP occurred. The method to which the schismatics resorted was raised in a traditional manner: a local entrepreneur, Nikolai Nikitich Martinovets, who is notorious for his prejudicial attitude toward UPTs clergy, organized a holiday event for local residents. At this event, after lunch and greetings, Martinovets introduced to the residents of the village two 'priests of the Kiev patriarchate.' It was suggested to the peasants to collect signatures in order to 'reregister' the parish of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, subordinating it to the self-proclaimed, illegal 'UPTsKP,' which is not recognized in the Orthodox world."
According to the report from UPTsMP, residents of the village of Preobrazhenka confirm that they depend on M.M. Martinovets a great deal, inasmuch as he owns their plots of land and therefore they were forced to support his initiatives. "However, despite even the pressure on the part of the aforementioned businessman, the village remained loyal to UPTs and intends to adhere firmly to the canonical church," the UPTsMP website notes.
The ruling bishop of the Kherson diocese of this confession, Archbishop of Kherson and Tauride Ioann, sent to the chairman of the Kherson provincial state administration a request "to defend the legal rights of Orthodox believers of the village of Preobrazhenka and prevent further inflaming of interconfessional conflict."
Meanwhile, from the Kiev patriarchate has appeared a report about a conflict situation in the village of Ptichia in Rovno province.
"In the morning of 20 April 2015, representatives of the UPTs of the Moscow patriarchate seized the Holy Dormition church in the village of Ptichia of the Dubna district of Rovno province. Five buses of soldiers and young people in cassocks (most likely from the Pochaev lavra) beat parishioners, broke the locks, and stormed into the church," the official website of UPTsKP says in a communication.
Representatives of UPTsKP recall that previously, on 8 April 2015, the Khoziaestvenyi court of the Rovno province did not satisfy the lawsuit of the UPTs of the Moscow patriarchate regarding their ownership of the Holy Dormition church in the village of Ptichia. On the same day, district and local authorities suggested to the parishes of UPTsKP and UPTsMP that they conduct worship services in the church alternately. However, representatives of UPTsMP refused this, saying that "Metropolitan Varfolomei has not blessed alternating worship services."
It is noted that the UPTsKP parish now comprises more than 90% and it decided "to open its own legal church which it built with its own resources and efforts. Two locks, whose keys the UPTsMP priest 'lost,' were cut and a third was opened personally by the village chairman, who in his time had sealed the church building."
"At the present time, the dean of the Dubna
district, Archpriest Igor Zagrebelny, along with the parish and
local authorities, wants to resolve the interconfessional conflict
in the village by peaceful means," the UPTsKP website notes.
"However representatives of the Moscow patriarchate are not
joining a dialogue, thereby confirming once again that peace in
our territory is not in their interest. Moreover, as the reverend
dean reported, militants have now shut themselves up in the church
which is being patrolled by a 'cossack guard from Kiev,' and an
unidentified woman was also arrested with knives and a large
quantity of money (apparently for paying the militants)." (tr. by
PDS, posted 20 April 2015)
Background article:
Conflict
over church building in western Ukraine simmers
April 9, 2015
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