“Myriany" voices five demands to the authorities
The believers demand that the authorities stop facilitating the seizure of churches and carry out the restitution of church property.
On the occasion of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, the NGO “Myriany" published a video with demands to the authorities on their YouTube channel. Archpriest Oleksiy Hodun, the rector of the seized Intercession Church of Kyiv, said that the goals of the believers who come to pray at the Lavra are much broader than just an attempt to defend the shrine. According to him, the people of God are fighting "for the very right of our Church to exist on its God-given land".
"Today they are taking away our temples. Like they took away my Intercession Church in Bortnychi a month ago," the priest said. "Tomorrow, even our open-air services could be prohibited - an unprecedented law banning our Church is ready for voting in the Rada. What will you do then? We can and must stop this!”
Fr Oleksiy voiced the demands of UOC believers to the authorities.
1. To completely and immediately unblock the Lavra for the priesthood, seminarians and believers of the UOC.
2. To carry out a full restitution of church property seized by the Soviet power! Church property must be returned to the Church.
3. Until restitution is realised, to clearly implement the lease agreement between the Reserve and the UOC. No one has the right to prohibit us from entering our shrine.
4. To stop the seizure of UOC churches, not to condone raiders at the state level.
5. We demand to stop the campaign of persecution against the UOC in the media and society and punish by law those who have done and continue to do this.
On behalf of the NGO “Myriany”, the priests called on all believers of the UOC to join these demands.
As reported, "Myriany" released a video about the OCU’s church raiding technology.
