Church persecution is growing, – Vadim Novinsky

People's deputy of Ukraine Vadim Novinsky states that rather than decreasing, the harassment, persecution and attacks on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church are growing and becoming more and more fierce. The people's deputy wrote about this on July 3 on his Facebook page in connection with the beating of the priest of the Annunciation Church in Kolomyia.

"Over the past few years in Ukraine, there have been hundreds of attacks on the churches, priests and parishioners of our Mother Church," writes Novinsky. "The fundamental right of citizens, enshrined in the Constitution of the country, – freedom of conscience and religion – is flagrantly disregarded and widely violated with the full approval of the current authority. Moreover, neither local self-government bodies nor law enforcers nor President Poroshenko, as the guarantor of the Constitution over the past few years, have done practically nothing to protect the rights of the believers of the UOC, to shield them from persecution and harassment by radical youths, nationalists of all kinds and outright bandits, who hide behind pseudo-patriotic slogans."

The MP expresses confidence that the time will come and all the actions directed against the Church will be given due legal assessment.

Vadim Novinsky promises that he will not ignore the "Kolomyia incident" and do everything possible to ensure that the case is duly investigated and the guilty persons are deservedly punished.

On June 4, the Annunciation Church in Kolomyia was seized by representatives of the UGCC with the support of the "Black Hundred" fighters. Now the church is sealed.