In vlg. Rakov Les, OCU reps attempt to seize a temple and beat parishioners

OCU supporters provoked a fight during the next attempt to seize a UOC temple

On March 17, 2019, the Orthodox community of the Holy Annunciation Church of the UOC in the village of Rakov Les of the Kamen-Kashirsky district prevented an attempted seizure of the temple. Aggressive activists broke into the church grounds and put up a fight right on the threshold of the temple, reports "Podrobnosti".

Believers of the UOC together with the newly appointed rector Archpriest Rostislav Sizhuk defended their church, which was again attempted to be seized by OCU supporters led by the former superior Archpriest Nikolai Smoliarchuk, who had been banned for falling into schism.

The OCU activists beat women defending their temple.

Galina Gut, an elderly resident of the village, said: “I was a second from death ... I was trampled! Look at what kind of men we have, what orders we have,” she told reporters and showed bloodied napkins.

When the OCU activists failed to break through the barrier of UOC believers, they climbed over the church fence, broke it, put up a fight on the steps near the entrance to the temple and cut locks from the gate.

“What kind of religion is this?! Father is attacking people!”, another resident of the village, Olga Muts, said with indignation.

The head of the local village council, Vladimir Nishchik, claims that all registration documents have been amended and the church now belongs to the OCU.

The UOC believers equipped a temporary tent not far from their church to hold worship services.

The rector and the community applied to the court and are waiting for its decision.

At the moment, the temple is closed, the UOC believers and OCU adherents have hung their locks on the temple doors.

We recall that on February 22, 2019, Bishop Nathanael of Volyn and Lutsk banned Archpriest Nikolai Smoliarchuk, the rector of the Holy Annunciation Church of the UOC in the village of Rakov Les of Kamen-Kashirsky district of the Volyn region. The ruling bishop made such a decision in connection with the transfer of Archpriest Nikolai under the jurisdiction of the OCU, together with a part of the religious community. A significant part of the faithful remained with the new superior, who, after the order of the ban, was appointed in his place and headed the community. Now the temple is closed. Archpriest Nikolai Smoliarchuk, who was banned from ministry, received a decree in the OCU on appointing him to the village of Rakov Les as the rector of the church.

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