Pravosek seized the temple and beat up the parishioners
In the village of Gnezdychno, Ternopil region, Ukrainian nationalists and the scandalous cleric of the “Kyiv Patriarchate” Ivan Lesik stormed the UOC church, beat the parishioners and sang the Ukrainian anthem.
This was reported in the information and educational department of the UOC, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“Contrary to all agreements, supporters of the OCU, with the help of Right Sector fighters, took possession of the temple of the Transfiguration religious community of the UOC. The scandalous “cleric of the Kyiv Patriarchate”, who at one time “became famous” in the Zbarazhsky district for political racketeering, Ivan Lesik, led the process and personally took part in the beating of believers,” the press service of the UOC reported.
The rector of this church, who a month ago was hospitalized as a result of a beating by Ukrainian radicals, Archpriest Stefan Balan accused the radicals who seized the church and the “priest” they commanded, the schismatic OCU, of violating their own agreements and provoking conflicts in the village.
“Our people were simply thrown out of the temple into the street. A month ago, when representatives of the “OCU” failed to take possession of the temple, they demanded that in order to maintain peace in the village, services would be held alternately on the street, and the temple would be sealed; the keys to the temple were in their possession.
And today their community, led by the pseudo-priest Ivan Lesik, violated its own conditions for the third time, opened a sealed temple and began performing “divine services.” When, at the end of the service, our believers came into the temple and asked for the opportunity for the UOC community to serve in the temple, they received a sharp refusal,” he said.
The priest Stefan Balan also told how the invaders beat parishioners and threw them into the street.
“The situation arose that in the temple there were about 30 members of the religious community of the UOC, the entire OCU community, part of the Right Sector and the police. After shouts and confusion, supporters of the “OCU”, led by the pseudo-priest Lesik, shouting “Muscovites should not be here,” began to beat and throw UOC believers out of the church into the street. Once again, a gross violation of human rights occurred, innocent people were beaten,” said Archpriest Stefan.
Let us recall that Ukrainian radicals had already undertaken attempt to capture this temple, as a result of which Abbot Stefan Balan was beaten and ended up in the hospital.
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