UOC believers go out for prayer standing under the Korets DSA

Верующие УПЦ пришли на молитвенное стояние под Корецкую РГА

As it became known to the UOJ, on April 15, 2019, UOC believers gathered for prayer standing under the walls of the Korets District State Administration to express their dissatisfaction with district officials who initiated interfaith strife and raiding in the village of Kopytov.

The head of the district did not want to answer the people's questions and made an attempt to hide in the premises of the RSA.

The reason for the protest was the events that have developed around the St. John the Theologian Church in the village of Kopytov during the last month. This is the first interfaith conflict in this deanery, and, in the opinion of people, it is initiated by an official and brought to life with the tacit consent of a number of civil servants.

“The order to abolish our religious community was given by Aleksey Muliarenko, the governor of the Rovno region, people were provoked by an official from the Korets District State Administration, a promise to prevent forceful confrontation was violated by at once by two people: the chairman of the Korets District Administration and the head of the Korets District Police Department, to whom we went before the forcible seizure to seek their support,” commented Archpriest Alexander Kolesov, a cleric of the Rovno Eparchy of the UOC.

After the moleben under the walls of the administrative building, Sergei Cherniy, the head of the district, walked out to the believers, but after the accusations he withdrew not to respond to them. The believers left in the reception of the chairman of the Korets Regional State Administration appeals, in which they demanded that the official take measures and prevent church conflicts in the village of Ustye and Kozak – the order of Mr Muliarenko about the abolition of UOC religious communities in these villages was recently made public on the official resource of the Rovno Regional State Administration.

“We are also outraged by the order of the chairman of the Rovno Regional State administration dated April 12, 2019, to reregister the statutes of the religious organizations of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the villages of Ustye and Kozak, without the knowledge of the rectors and the parish councils,” the address of the faithful of the UOC Korets Deanery says. “In order to avoid conflict, you as the head of the Koretsky district should apply preventive measures in the villages where church confrontations are possible because ensuring peace in the region you have been entrusted to govern is part of your official duties.”

As the UOJ reported, the seizure of the UOC Church of the Holy Apostle John the Theologian in the village of Kopytov of the Korets district, Rovno region, took place on April 13, 2019, despite prior agreements reached with government officials and law enforcement officers. The priest and parishioners were beaten and thrown out of the church gate, while the police helped the raiders instead of preventing the confrontation. As a result, one parishioner was hospitalized, and the cleric, Archpriest Igor Vlasiuk, had to call an ambulance. 

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