METROPOLITAN OF TERNOPOL AND UPTs PARISHIONERS FROM
ROVNO COMPLAIN ABOUT RELIGIOUS HARASSMENT TO OSCE AND UKRAINIAN
PRESIDENT
Religiia
v Ukraine, 3 June 2015
On 28 May 2015 a meeting was held between
Metropolitan of Ternopol and Kremenets Sergius and
representatives of the Special Monitoring Mission of OSCE in
Ukraine, Mark Kirschbaum and Leszek Kozik. Also participating in
the conversations was rights advocate and member of the public
union Forpost, Oleg Denisov, Religiia v Ukraine reports, citing
the website of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The meeting's participants discussed questions of
the observance of human rights in Ukraine, specifically in
connection with incidents of provocation involving parishes of
the UPTsMP. Metropolitan of Ternopol and Kremenets Sergius
expressed concern "in connection with seizures of church
buildings of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the villages of
Bashuka, Kolosov, and Kulika of the Kremenets district of
Ternopol province."
The sides reviewed instances of the dissemination
of misinformation and discredited reports on the part of
government bodies and private individuals which accused without
basis the Holy Dormition Pochaev lavra of anti-Ukrainian
propaganda, the RPTs website reports. "Foreign observers
received materials and documents confirming incidents of violation of rights
with respect to believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and
they were able to hear representatives of parishes who were
immediate victims of provocational actions and attacks,
including during seizures of churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox
Church on the territories of the Ternopol, Volyn, and Rovno
provinces."
Along with this the sensational case of the seizure
of the church in the village of Ugrinov of Volyn province was
considered. "At the present time as the result of the inaction
of the authorities, the life and health of its rector, a priest
of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Archpriest Rostislav
Sapozhnik, are in danger. There have been incidents of threats
to the clergyman to evict him from the housing which is
provided, despite the fact that the priest has two minor
children," the RPTs website says. "The building of the Ukrainian
Orthodox Church in the village of Ugrinov was seized by
representatives of the 'Kiev patriarchate' in September 2014
with the active participation of the businessman and deputy of
the Volyn provincial council, A. Turako, after which the rector,
Archpriest Rostislav, along with the evicted parish, was forced
to perform the liturgy in his own house. In March of this year,
Father Rostislav was subjected to a severe beating by
schismatics."
In addition, on 25 May parishioners of the Rovno
diocese of UPTsMP sent an open letter to the president of
Ukraine requesting that he protect churches of UPTs from church
raiders. The letter was signed by more than 900 parishioners,
the website of the Rovno diocese reports, as quoted by Pravmir.
They call Petro Poroshenko's attention to the fact that "at the
very heart of Ukraine roots of genuine religious separatism have
taken hold," and "parishioners of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church,
the only canonical Orthodox church in the state, have become
victims of an evil and horrible phenomenon—church raiding."
The signatories cite instances of violent seizures
of churches, among which are the St. Michael's church in the
village of Ostrov, the St. Paraskeva church in the village of
Solonev, the church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in
the village of Rachin, the church of Sts. Cosmos and Damian in
the village of Miatin, the church of the Apostle and Evangelist
Luke in the village of Belogorodka, the church of St.
Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene in the village of Badovka,
the church of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael in the
village of Novoselka, the church of St. Paraskeva in the village
of Chudinits, the church of the Nativity of the Mother of God in
the village of Milchev, and the Holy Dormition church in the
village of Ptichia.
The letter points out that "since last year, church
communities have been attacked by representatives of the
so-called Kiev patriarchate. They spread rumors that the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church supports separatism. However in
reality it is they who are the real separatists, inasmuch as
they divide Ukrainians and force them to change confessions by
deceit. They sow enmity between branches of the Orthodox faith.
They say that our church is hostile to the Ukrainian state."
Rebutting the arguments of UPTsKP, the parishioners
of the Rovno diocese declare: "The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has
never called for war, since this contradicts the Christian
spirit. At the same time, many of our parishioners have
fulfilled their military duty to the motherland. And many are
fulfilling it now."
The signatories ask for appropriate measures to be
taken: "Esteemed Petr Alekseevich, we ask you to prove that
Ukraine has finally begun to live by the principles of legality
and morality. We ask that you prevent the terrible plague of
religious separatism while it is still not too late. We pray for
peace, harmony, and prosperity for our state and we believe that
you are praying for the same." (tr. by PDS, posted 3 June 2015)
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