Ivankov believers do not allow OCU activists to seize their temple

The faithful of the UOC did not allow supporters of the new church structure into the territory of their temple

On Saturday, March 23, 2019, believers of the village of Ivankov, Kiev region, gathered for a divine service in the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. At about 10 o'clock in the morning, OCU supporters, name-calling the parishioners and the rector – a cleric of the Kiev Eparchy of the UOC Archimandrite Longin, came to the church grounds.

According to the eyewitnesses to the events, at some point the opponents of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church attempted to break into the churchyard, but the parishioners closed the church fence in time.

The locals suggest that activists did not go for more radical actions due to the fact that there was a video camera on the scene.

As a result, representatives of the OCU served their “service” near the fence of the temple and dispersed.

We recall that the action group of local residents who are not members of a religious community is attempting to transfer the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Ivankov to the OCU. Moreover, many of those who voted at the impromptu meeting of the territorial community to join the OCU consider themselves to be atheists. Among the speakers for the reassignment of the temple are Pavel Smovzh, the editor of the local newspaper Tribuna Truda and former ATO fighter Viktor Krasiun, the head of a security company.

Raiders resort to dirty technologies, using frauds with the registry and publishing slanderous accusations against believers and their priest in the newspaper where Pavel Smovzh works. In one of the publications, it was reported that the first "worship" of the OCU was planned in the temple for March 26, 2019.

The UOJ editorial board reminds: in case of violation of the rights of the episcopate, clergy, laity and institutions of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (obstruction of worship, seizure of temples, provocations and pressure, threats, etc.) one should immediately contact the Legal Department of the UOC on the phone: 097- 537-55-96.

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