Law enforcers look into illegal "transfer" of UOC temple to OCU in Buzhanka

In Buzhanka, investigators interviewed supporters of the OCU. Photo: viche.ck.ua

In the village of Buzhanka, Lysianka district, Cherkasy region, as part of an investigation into the case of falsification of documents by the "transfer" of the local religious community of the UOC to another jurisdiction, investigators from the fiscal service interviewed supporters of the OCU, reports the press-service of the Uman Eparchy.

According to the Vesti Cherkasschiny resource, “dozens of people, members of the religious community of the local Orthodox Church,” came to the village police station.

“We were called here to testify to the investigators of the fiscal service from the region regarding the application of priest Vasily Yavodchak to the regional prosecutor’s office about the allegedly illegal actions on our part by the transfer of the community to the OCU,” the resource cited the OCU supporters. “As many as 5 investigators arrived to inquire whether there really was a community meeting, whether they elected a chairman, a secretary, how they voted, who put their signatures. In short, these are strange questions. After all, all this can be seen in the protocols. We think someone's ordered action. "

The online edition clarified that “last year at a general meeting in Buzhanka, the parishioners of the local Orthodox church of the Moscow Patriarchate decided to pass to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine with an overwhelming majority of votes. A relevant statute with amendments and additions was submitted to the Cherkasy Regional State Administration, and after a detailed study of the documents, the then RSA head Igor Shevchenko signed a decision to re-register the community."

“However, it turned out that, paraphrasing the biblical expression, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than to get them (UOC community– Ed.) to praise the Lord in the native Ukrainian language in the church,” the resource stated, adding that the UOC sows religious enmity in the community and “it remains to be hoped, that believers are wise people, and they will find their way to the temple which is the place for God, not politics."

One of the OCU activists, Oleksiy Bagatelya, also complained that their community, which “was the first in the Lysianka region to withdraw from the subordination of the Moscow Patriarchate and to join the canonical Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” was not allowed into the church.

“6 believers remained with Yavodchak (the UO priest – Ed.), who chose to serve in the branch of the UOC (MP). They conduct services in the church, considering it almost their property, but they won't let us into the doorway, they won't give us the keys, although it was built at the expense of the community. Everyone donated as much as they could, and the tenants of the land, who, by the way, also advocate their own independent Ukrainian church, invested tens of thousands of hryvnias in the construction. Another thing is how Yavodchak distributed these funds. After all, the construction, which has been going on for over 10 years, has not yet been completed."

The UOJ sought a comment from the rector of the UOC temple in honor of Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov and their mother Sophia, Priest Vasily Yavodchak. He confirmed that he had indeed applied to the fiscal service, since the “transfer” of the community to the OCU was illegal and was accompanied by falsification of documents.

“Currently, two criminal proceedings have been opened on forgery of documents,” said Father Vasily. “I turned to the fiscal service that fake documents were submitted to the state registrar, which is why the investigators came to the village to sort the things out."

According to the clergyman, the way the supporters of the OCU reacted to this case was rather aggressive.

“They blocked me, didn't let me pass. Screams, squeals – like they usually do. They threatened me, but I did my best to take it easy,” added Father Vasily.

As reported by the UOJ, earlier the Uman Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church refuted the fake about the transition of two communities to the OCU.

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