In various Ukrainian regions, churches continue to be forcibly ‘transferred’ to the schismatic structure

DECR Communication Service, 03.05.2022.

The forcible ‘transfer’ of a church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to the schismatic structure took place at the Krasnoselka village, Khmelnitsk region, Ukraine.

The rector of the community of the church of St. John the Theologian thrice refused to renounce the canonical Church and was supported in this action by his parishioners. However, on April 29, the ‘OCU’ published a ‘decree’ on the incorporation of the parish at the Krasnoselka village to this structure, the Union of Orthodox Journalists reports with reference to the internet project Unas.news.

Village headman Nikolay Krymlov explained that the decision on the ‘transfer’ to the OCU was made by a meeting of villagers. He added that the rector of the parish refused thrice to transfer to the ‘OCU’. After receiving the ‘decree’ from the schismatics, the church was sealed up.

The same pattern was used to ‘transfer’ a church in Dubishche-na-Volyni. Despite the protest of the community and the rector, the decision was made at a meeting of locals, not that of the church community; at the same time, it was by local authorities that the meeting was initiated. The rector of the church, Father Mikhail Bodak pointed out that he would remain faithful to God and was not going to move to the schismatics. About sixty parishioners remained with him. ‘I will be faithful to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and however many people remain with me, even two or three, I will be for them the priest and spiritual pastor’, Father Mikhail stated in response to the proposal of the authorities to move to the ‘OCU’.

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In various Ukrainian regions, churches continue to be forcibly ‘transferred’ to the schismatic structure

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons