In Nesvich 40 activists of OCU storming church house

Orthodox St. Michael community of the village of Nesvich. St. Patron’s Day, 2014. Photo: Volyn Eparchy

On the morning of June 21, 2019, about 40 activists of the OCU, who attempted to break the locks and appropriate the building, were brought to the church house of the St. Michael community of the UOC of the village of Nesvich, Volyn region.

The wife of the parish priest, Archpriest Nikolai Kovalchuk, told the UOJ correspondent that about 20 UOC parishioners tried to repulse a raider attack, supporters of the new church structure failed to break the locks on the house doors and went for a grinder. Arriving at the scene, the police were inactive.

According to eyewitnesses, on June 20, 2019, during the session of the Gorodishche united territorial community, to which the village of Nesvich also belongs, local entrepreneur Vladimir Kuchera and 20 people brought by him began to demand to give the church home to the OCU. Representatives of the local authorities allegedly satisfied the demand of Kuchera and his team and gave an oral order to develop technical documentation for the site.

At it became known, the building of interest to the raiders was constructed in the neighbourhood of the previously seized temple, on a completely different plot of land separated by a fence. At the same time, the site itself, according to previously registered documents, does not belong to the community, but to the rector, Archpriest Nikolai, who personally remained in the canonical Church.

After the local authorities forcibly re-registered the St. Michael community to the OCU, UOC parishioners gather for worship in this particular house. Now, however, activists of the OCU are illegally attempting to take away other people's property.

The St. Michael community of the UOC of Nesvich was re-registered to the OCU, among other parishes of the canonical Church, by order of the chairman of the Volyn Regional State Administration of March 18, 2019. On June 7, the acting head of the RSA handed over to the use of the new church structure 10 churches – monuments of architecture, including the church with the bell tower of the village of Nesvich. After that, the believers of the St. Michael religious community of the UOC reported that they were afraid of losing the prayer house too, the only place where they can now gather for worship.

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

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