The dome is raised on Rokhmanov UOC temple instead of the church seized by Kiev Patriarchate

On December 17 in Rokhmanov village, Shumsk district, a dome was solemnly raised and set on the Holy Trinity church, having been built for several years by the community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. A festive event was attended not only by the faithful of the village, but also by guest visitors from other cities and villages of Ukraine, administration of Pochaev theological school, Kiev citizens, representatives of Kamenets-Podolsky eparchy. It is reported by the UOJ correspondent.

One of the side altars will be dedicated to St. Alexander Nevsky. The dome was consecrated by senior father of the new temple of the UOC community in Rokhmanov protopriest Oleg Sirko, who had suffered assaults, bashing, food deprivation and infarction as a result of confrontation with the Kiev Patriarchate.

The holiday that had gathered an Orthodox community and all those who had supported it through all these years, became a true reward for the believers for their bygone sorrows. Having won in courts of all resorts, the UOC Holy Trinity community did not exacerbate the confrontation in the village, but chose to construct a new shrine.

The holiday in Rokhmanov was significant for the Orthodox of this neighborhood: over ten years ago this parish became one of the first to be compelled to have “alternate services” with the Kiev Patriarchate.

In the spring of 2005 representatives of the hastily registered community of the UOC KP tried to break into the UOC temple. At that moment the UOC chief, legal user of the ancient church (built in 1730), made an attempt to defend his church, having locked inside and announced hunger strike.

Further on protopriest Oleg Sirko and the UOC believers refused to take part in the conflict escalation, and the temple was finally grabbed by the KP. The UOC community defended their rights in the court and demanded to revoke unlawful decrees of the chairman of Ternopol regional state administration dated 20 April 2005 № 180 and 18 May 2005 № 246. Under these documents the church in dispute had to be used by the two communities – UOC and UOC KP, despite the fact the UOC faithful were granted the right to use this landmark church in the year of 1946, confirmed by the decision to transfer the above church to the UOC community in 1991.

According to the ruling of the Supreme Administrative Court of Ukraine of 31 August 2006, an illegitimate decree of Ternopol RSA was canceled altogether. However, this court decision was not to be implemented in reality in spite of year-long requests and prayers in the tent near the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Namely at that time the fight of the UOC faithful of Rokhmanov village for their rights stepped beyond the region. Still, continuous standoffs in Kiev did not yield any practical solution.

The tent church of St. Alexander Nevsky was in Kiev for several years, not far from the place, where there used to be a grand church in the Saint’s honor. The tent was dismantled during the Presidency of Victor Yanukovich, and the UOC community asked about allocation of the land in Rokhmanov village for a new church construction. The regional council allocated the land.