OCU "hierarch" about Orthodox: a tool of evil destroying Ukraine’s unity

"Archbishop" of the new church structure Hilarion Protsyk. Photo: litgazeta.com.ua

Hilarion Protsyk, an “archbishop” of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, stated that the Orthodox Christians of the Rovno region are an instrument of evil destroying the unity of Ukraine. Не gave an example of the Holy Protection Church in Riasniki, which has been subjected not once to the attempted seizures by the activists of the new church structure.

“As a bishop I appeal to all Orthodox believers regardless of church jurisdiction and I ask you not to succumb to provocations. Remember that you are being specifically used, and you are an instrument of evil aimed at destroying unity in Ukraine,” Protsyk said on the website of the Rovno Eparchy of the OCU.

The “hierarch” accused the UOC of “numerous provocations against the unification of Orthodox believers in a single Orthodox Church of Ukraine”.

According to Protsyk, no beating of believers and the clergy of the canonical Church and violent seizures of the churches of the UOC occur.

“In particular, such actions on the part of the representatives of the UOC-MP (UOC – Ed.) can take place in the near future in the village of Riasniki, Goshcha district, where part of the community did not support the transfer to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” the archbishop of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church told his readers.

He complained that members of the true religious community of the Holy Protection Church of the UOC did not want to give up their church for alternate services.

“Some people from the clergy and believers of the Rovno Eparchy of the UOC-MP are setting up this community to forcibly seize the temple. And as always, in this process, it will not do without the use of titushki (men of sporty built – Ed.) and all kinds of provocateurs, who will then talk about staged beatings and bullying,” said Protsyk.

After such statements, the OCU "hierarch" reminded Orthodox Christians of the words from the Holy Scriptures, which called for "preventing violence".

“In order to prevent violence, I want to recall the words from the Holy Scriptures that God ‘will repay each person according to what they have done’ (Rom. 2: 6). Let God's grace always inspire us to live in peace and love,” he concluded his appeal to believers.

We recall that after the head of the Rovno RSA Igor Timoshenko, regardless of the norms of the Constitution of Ukraine, demanded that the community in Riasniki should serve in turn with the OCU, activists of the new church structure several times attempted to seize the temple. The latest of these attacks on the temple occurred on August 25, 2019. Then the “priest” who led the “prayer” of the adherents of the new church structure called the UOC believers demoniac. 

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