Parish of Novaya Moshchanitsa: Do we have to suffer so much in our country?

Natalia Gnatishin, spouse of the rector of the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. Photo: UOJ

Members of the religious community of the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos of the UOC in the village of Novaya Moshchanitsa of Rovno region are worried about the aggressive behavior of the OCU activists in their village.

Over the past 3 months, the police have become a frequent visitor in the village, Natalia Gnatishin, wife of the rector Archpriest Igor Gnatishin, told the UOJ correspondent.

“We have written a lot of statements. Over the period of these three months, the police have come five times. During the first weeks in March they came two or three times. And on April 14 there were as many as 60 policemen. But we also had people, who specially left after the service because they knew that there would be a raider attack. Basically, threats come from our teachers from Novaya Moshchanitsa. One of them, the first teacher of my eldest son said to me – get out of here, from the village, do not incite people to revolt, do not call them to your side,” said the priest’s wife.

She explained that she could not leave the parishioners who asked to stay every Sunday.

“How can I leave all these people here? Especially the elderly? After all, this is my second family! I come from afar, from Volyn. My husband-priest and I were like in a foreign land here at first. But I grew up with these people, they helped raise my children. And if they ask me to stay – how can we abandon them, tell me? What heart should one have to do that?” the woman shared with the journalist.

According to her, the head of the “parish council” of the OCU community Olga Lotsiuk and her “ten”, mostly men, come with threats most often.

“There is no court decision, nothing. They came, they decided that we have no right to be here and that's all. <...> They came yesterday, literally at 9 o'clock or 10. When the police arrived, it was already a dark night. Three men, who were totally drunk and could not stand on their feet, were waving their hands, striking upon the priest. There were women who separated them from us. There is a video shot. They were drunk. I called the police and asked – come, because they can start a fight,” the woman recalled.

She told how the former local medical assistant Kutsel stood near the police and threatened to beat the windows, intimidate and do everything to dispatch her husband "to an insane asylum."

“And they do. I'm not an old woman, but I became nervous, I am no longer in good health. I’ve already turned gray, completely gray, you see? Over these three months. For the sake of these people we hold down the fort. With God's help,” concluded the rector's wife.

Members of the religious community are very worried about the fate of Archpriest Igor and his family.

“I was at home yesterday. I could hear they were shouting near the shop that the priest would be killed, his wife would be killed, the windows broken, the doors broken, we would be thrown out and no one would be left. I called the priest’s wife and warned her they could come to her place. Three young men came, jumped to the father and wanted to beat him. I came running, stood between them and did not allow beating the priest. They wanted to hit me but we were pulled apart,” shared parishioner Maria Doroshchuk. “We prevented the priest from beating. So they began to shout that his family would be thrown out of the house, the father would be beaten, and his wife would be beaten. Both the father and we were threatened. One villager Petro Romaniuk told me – I will do something to you so that you will be no longer here. Maybe, I will have to go to the police, write an application because I'm afraid. My husband is disabled, I am alone in the house, and I do not know what this will end up with.”

According to her, among those who threw elderly women with sticks out of the temple was Sergey Kondrachuk, head of Zdolbunov Regional State Administration.

Galina Pilipchuk, who also lives in Novaya Moshchanitsa, drew attention to the inaction of the authorities.

“Is there really no power to protect us? We went to the prosecutor, but he said, "This is not my competence, I cannot help you." Police also cannot do anything. We are denied help everywhere, we are not protected. Do we really have to suffer today in our own country? Each of us was born here, raised children, but we are so despised. Muscovites! What Muscovites do they mean?! Can my father be a Moskal if he was a captive in the concentration camp? We go to the grave of elder Leonty and they go there too. Why do they go? The elder spent 20 years in prison for confessing the Orthodox faith. He was persecuted by communists. Are these OCU supporters not the very same communists now?” the woman concluded.

Earlier in Novaya Moshchanitsa due the persecutions the UOC laity were forced to transfer their children to another school. “This is a necessary measure, because the main initiators of the seizure of our church are teachers, they have been keeping the family of our priest in suspense for the third month in a row, stirring up the village, persuading local men to act violently. And this weekend, when a clash occurred in the courtyard between the priest and supporters of the OCU, they beat the man who came defend the priest, while the teachers filmed this scandal on the phone,” said one of the mothers.

Finally, the believers recorded a video message to President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky, in which they asked him to protect their right to freedom of religion.

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