Believers of the Moscow Patriarchate picketed the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, protesting against the seizure of churches
On Thursday, parishioners of Kyiv Orthodox churches held a religious procession and prayer standing in front of the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. Participants protested against the participation of police structures in the seizure of churches of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC) by the schismatic “Kyiv Patriarchate”.
During the prayer standing, believers conveyed to Arsen Avakov an appeal with the following content:
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“For the second year in a row, criminal attacks by schismatics and nationalists have continued in various regions of Ukraine with the aim of seizing churches and desecrating the shrines of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church,” the authors of the appeal report. In particular, they cite the most recent example - the seizure of an Orthodox church in the village by the Filaretites. Ekaterinivka, Ternopil region, when schismatics were traditionally helped not only by the Right Sector, but also by the so-called “territorial battalion “Ternopil” of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine”: “The parishioners were beaten in the yard so that about two dozen believers received serious injuries (including broken limbs and head injuries - author).
“Together with the Right Sector militants were representatives of the Ternopil territorial battalion, which is a structural unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine,” the authors of the appeal continue. “They also participated in the beating of defenseless believers of our Church, among whom were mainly women and elderly people. At the same time, the local police were inactive.
“Even more indignant is the fact that criminal cases have been opened against parishioners who suffered from hooliganism by militants. – the letter further says – In connection with this blatant lawlessness, the Primate of the UOC, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry, sent his letter to the President of Ukraine Poroshenko with a request to stop the blasphemous attacks on the churches of the UOC and the beatings of believers by militants, including in the village of Ekaterinivka, and to restore justice to events in this village."
The Orthodox put forward the following demands to Avakov:
- to punish those who are truly guilty and, first of all, representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs unit - the Ternopil battalion, who, in violation of their professional duty, took the side of those attacking the defenseless believers of our Church;
- take all necessary measures to ensure that the rights of believers of the UOC are not violated in Ukraine, first - to stop attempts to seize UOC churches by schismatics, which they systematically carry out together with militants of extremist organizations in Ukraine.
And to the so-called The administrator of the UOC, Metropolitan Anthony, addressed the “Kyiv Patriarchate.”
“It is impossible to contribute to the establishment of stability with one hand, and with the other to kindle the flames of another confrontation in Ukrainian society,” пишет He. – As a result of illegal actions, believers of our Church suffered. Clubs and tear gas were used against women and unarmed men. Fractures of the limbs and head injuries were recorded.
There are more than thirty similar cases of raiding. We hope that representatives of the religious denomination, in whose favor the churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church are currently being seized, will come to their senses and also put the interests of the Ukrainian people above the desire to unlawfully expand their church holdings. We cannot advocate reconciliation only in words. They need to be supported by concrete actions. For example, the return of captured churches to the believers of the UOC, which will be clear evidence of the sincerity of the words about the desire for peace in Ukraine.”
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