OCU threatens UOC community for installing a temporary church in Budiatychi

OCU activists in the village of Budiatychi, Ivanychi district, Volyn region, who have taken over the entire complex of church property of the local UOC community, are trying to prevent believers from settling in a temporary church on private land. Opponents of the UOC fraudulently collected signatures in the village under their complaint to the prosecutor's office, police and the local village council, convincing that the actions of believers were allegedly illegal, the UOJ correspondent reports.

Left without their church and without the status of legal entity, the parishioners of the UOC in Budiatychi bought a metal container to be converted into a temporary church. A cold snap is approaching, and people are no longer able to gather for prayer outside, as they have been doing for about a year and a half. The carriage was installed on a plot of land opposite the temple, with the permission of the owners. A dome and a domed cross were also installed.

“The situation is not to the liking of the OCU, because the majority of the villagers come to us, and they hoped that with the cold weather they would start going to them, since they do not have the financial ability to support the church. They also pay a salary to their “priest”, according to one parishioner of the OCU, and lure people by hook or by crook in order to collect at least some money,” said the UOC community to the UOJ.

When the OCU activists realized that with the installation of a temporary church, their financial aspirations were not to come true at all, they resorted to aggression and threats.

“Supporters of the political OCU again went through the village to collect signatures for some unknown reason, either to forbid us to pray or to prevent the ‘Russian Church’ in the village. Certain activists, by prior conspiracy, by lying and deceiving the villagers, taking advantage of their good neighborly trust, collected signatures allegedly for having the Ukrainian Church, but instead prepared a statement sent to the village council, the police and the prosecutor's office, which was signed by their authorized representative V. Makarchuk. The crux of the matter is that we allegedly unlawfully, without any permits, installed a religious building, which 'leads to a social conflict', and ask to solve this issue by prohibiting our religious community from celebrating the Divine Liturgy and praying on the territory of our village,” the UOC believers retell the events.

The situation, as stated by the community, is getting out of control, "the activists of the political church no longer know how to fight us." It got to the point of direct threats against the secretary of the St. Nicholas community of the UOC in the village of Budiatychi from the head of the parish council of the OCU V. Makarchuk. In addition, others have already been intimidated.

“For example, after one Sunday service, three choirists of the OCU verbally attacked an old parishioner of the UOC, insulted her, called her a separatist, a traitor, told her to go to their church instead of standing ‘beneath’ the fences. And such cases are not random. They shout out the phrases ‘let them register in the cemetery, idiots, shameful, you won't rule here, there won't be your church in our village, and so on’. There is nothing to hope for help from the police and justice of the local court,” the believers summed up.

As a reminder, the St. Nicholas community of the UOC in Budiatychi was re-registered in favor of the OCU on April 16, 2019. The temple remained closed for almost a year, and people prayed on the church grounds. As a result, having opened its doors, the church was seized by supporters of the OCU. The case for re-registration is pending in court.