In Dorotishche believers prevent seizure of their temple
On March 2, in vlg. Dorotishche, Kovel district, the UOC community prevented an attempt to seize the church of the Assumption of the Virgin by the OCU supporters.
The provocation took place when the vespers were to be held on the eve of the Sunday liturgy, the press service of the Vladimir-Volynsk Eparchy reports.
The initiators of the seizure blocked the parishioners from entering the temple, tied a yellow-blue flag at the top of the monument-cross in the churchyard, and prevented the vespers from starting on time.
Protopriest Mikhail Chupak, the dean of Kovel-Voskresensk district, met with members of the religious community and villagers. He listened to the initiators of the “transition” to the OCU, who were headed by the chairman of the Kovel district council, Andrey Broilo.
After a long and frank conversation, they managed to reach an understanding and resolve a number of issues that used to cause discontent among some villagers. When the incident was settled, the need for a transition to the OCU vanished.
The participants agreed that the period of preparation for Great Lent is not the time for religious conflicts. Andrei Broilo, who comes from Dorotishche, promised the present that the agreements would not be violated and that the services in the church would continue to be performed unhindered. And indeed, the vespers, albeit belatedly, passed properly, and was very crowded.
At that time, while the “activists” blocked the entrance to the temple, priests and more than a hundred people came from nearby Kovel, for whom Dorotishche is a small homeland. Here, in the local church, they were baptized, here they got married, here they paid last respects to their parents. An hour later, the fellow countrymen got together at the temple, so precious to them, in order to prevent provocations.
“Today we managed to reach an agreement in Dorotishche. Thanks to everyone who sees the truth behind the labels and is able to search for a solution to all issues peacefully! ” the diocese wrote.
As the UOJ reported, earlier the NGO Public Advocacy published a legal video instruction on how to protect a church from the raider seizure.
