Ivano-Frankivsk diocese appeals to police and SBU due to threats of raiders

Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ivano-Frankivsk. Photo: pravlife.org

In relation to the threats of raiders to seize the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ in Ivano-Frankivsk, the local diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church turned to the police and the SBU with statements about the commission of criminal offenses. This is reported by the diocesan press service.

The report notes that the organizers of the "liberation" of the cathedral from the clergy and believers of the UOC created a separate Telegram channel, where "they call for violence against members of the religious community and the forcible seizure of a religious building."

The diocese believes that the actions of the raiders can be qualified as offenses under five articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:

• art. 129 (threat to kill if there were real grounds to fear that the threat would be carried out, on grounds of religious intolerance);
• art. 161 (inciting religious hatred);
• art. 179 (illegal holding, desecration or destruction of religious shrines);
• art. 180 (obstructing the performance of a religious ceremony);
• art. 181 (encroachment on people's health under the pretext of preaching religious beliefs or performing religious rites).

The press service recalled that a pre-trial investigation is underway in the joint criminal proceedings on the fact of forging documents and allegedly joining the OCU by the community of the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ on their basis.

As the UOJ reported, earlier opponents of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church announced the "official liberation" of the last UOC church in Ivano-Frankivsk on March 28.

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