Paid thugs and UOC (MP) representativesattempted to seize a UOC-KP church in Transcarpathia
A religious war broke out in the village of Pylypets in Zakarpattia region. The cause of the confrontation was the transition of the UOC (MP) community to the Kyiv Patriarchate and the defense of their property right to the local church.
On September 27, representatives of Khust Diocese of the UOC (MP) and the so-called ‘titushkas’ (paid thugs) made an attempt to capture the Church of the Nativity of Theotokos. The attackers grabbed keys from the church warden in and pushed him out of the church. The premises of the church were vacated only through the prompt intervention of the police.
According to the website of the UOC-KP Transcarpathian diocese, on August 9, 2015, the general meeting of the parish community decided to secede fromthe UOC (MP) Diocese of Khust and to move to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patiarchate.
The parishioners appealed to the Chairman of the Transcarpathian Regional Administration asking to implement amendments to the Statute of the religious community. Their request was satisfied.
“Despite the legitimate grounds the parishioners had to pray in the bosom of the UOC-KP, representatives of the UOC (MP) Diocese of Khust started exerting pressure on members of the aforementioned religious community.
On September 18, 2015, in the night, chairman of the religious community of the Nativity of Theotokos of Pylypets village was visited by clergymen of Khust diocese (Moscow Patriarchate)who threatened him and warned that they wouldseizethe church by force,”goes the statement of the Transcarpathian Diocese of the UOC-KP.
UOC-KP believers reported on threats to the SSU and the Ministry of Interior agencies in Transcarpathian region, as well as to the chairman of the Transcarpathian Regional State Administration. However, judging by further developments, UOC (MP) did not abandon their plans and decided to seize the church by force on September 27.
“Given the foregoing, the leadership of the UOC-KP Transcarpathian Diocese demands to stop gangster pressure exerted on the parish of the Nativity of Theotokos in Pylypets village, Transcarpathian region, and to stop intimidation of people who expressed their legal position guaranteed them by the Constitution of Ukraine and the Law of Ukraine “On freedom of conscience and religious organizations”, namely the transition to the Transcarpathian Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate,” reads the statement.
The official website of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) and the website of theUOC (MP) Diocese of Khust have not made any comments so far concerning these developments.
