Department for External Church Relations
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In Volyn region authorities and schismatics try to “transfer” a monastery of the canonical Church to the OCU jurisdiction
The matter of jurisdiction of the Monastery of the Holy Dormition of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Nizkinichi village, Volyn region, Ukraine, was on the agenda of two meetings held simultaneously – a gathering at a local school and an assembly of believers at the monastery. Having known about attempts to organize provocations against the abode, its parishioners gathered together on 23 February 2019, in order to defend their priests and the brethren, a correspondent of the Union of Orthodox Journalists reports.
According to the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Vikenty (Mazur), the brethren had known for a long time that initiators of the “transfer to the OCU” would have tried to use a territorial community of the village. However, these attempts were not taken seriously, for it was unclear how the “initiative group” could announce the “transfer” with not a single monk speaking in favour of it. At the same time, Fr. Vikenty supposes that attacks against the monastery could continue in the future, because among those canvassing for the “transfer” was Andrei Badzyun, chairman of the Ivanichi District Council.
On 23 February 2019, at the village school, a meeting took place. Its participants voted in favour of the monastery’s transfer to the OCU. It is noteworthy that, covering the event, Bug Regional Periodical characterized the meeting as an initiative of the territorial, not religious, community: none of representatives of the monastery attended it. According to this periodical, 115 participants in the territorial meeting voted for the transfer to the OCU, 4 abstained and 5 voted against it.
Simultaneously, over 650 parishioners assembled in the abode. The participants in the meeting of the religious community decided against changing the jurisdiction, as the minutes signed by them confirm.
It remains unknown what will follow the vote for the “transfer.” It should be noted that among those present at the gathering in the village school was Stefan Fulmes, rector of the “Kiev Patriarchate” church from the neighbouring town of Novovolynsk.
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