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Ukrainian Orthodox priest thrown out of his village

UGRINOV TYRANNY: SUPPORTERS OF UPTsKP "SQUEEZE" UPTs PRIEST'S FAMILY OUT OF THE VILLAGE

Volyn Diocese of UPTs, official website, 25 May 2015

 

The editorial staff of the portal O Tserkvi has learned that interconfessional passions in the village of Ugrinov, which is in Volyn, have passed over to a new stage. The rector of the church of the Holy Elevation of the Cross of the village of Ugrinov, Archpriest Rostislav Sapozhnik, along with his wife and two minor children, was seized by representatives of the UPTsKP, who intend to expel them from the "church's" house in which the family has been registered for more than 17 years now.

 

As is already traditional, the demonstration for expelling the priest from the village was supported by a local farmer in cooperation with a deputy of the Volyn provincial council, Andrei Turak. However, this time, on the weekend, on Saturday, 23 May 2015, representatives of the local village council and surveyors visited the yard of Sapozhnik's house. Without any explanations or warnings, the uninvited guests began surveying the land, completely ignoring Father Rostislav's request for an explanation of what was happening

 

As Archpriest Rostislav himself reported, bypassing all legal norms, supporters of the Kiev patriarchate, led by Andrei Turako, want to evict him and his family from the house to which they have been registered for more than 17 years and in which since not long ago worship services have been conducted for the parish of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church which was thrown out of its own church. Moreover, inexplicably, the raiders had in their hands all the documents by which both the land and the building were transferred to the ownership of the UPTsKP. The priest and his family were given a week to evacuate.

 

We recall, the interconfessional conflict in the village of Ugrinov has been going on about a year now. During this time, believers who remained faithful to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have experienced continual pressure on the part of supporters of UPTsKP and of the instigator of the schism, Andrei Turako personally, who threatens people with layoffs and other problems. The raiders even used physical force on Father Rostoslav himself. Neither district nor provincial authorities want to pay attention to what is happening in the village, considering the conflict purely religious. (tr. by PDS, posted 25 May 2015)


Background article:
Brawl in west Ukraine over seized church
March 23, 2015

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