Much Ado and … Nothing

Events of church life in rural communities do not often hit the big screen. One thing is a low-cost interview in a studio with a leading expert or blogger who would theorize about treachery and criminality of the UOC at length. After the traditional "materiel" is exhausted, a happy teleforge, which released another batch of hatred, having worked their pay, leaves for home.

Another thing is to get to the village, where a religious conflict is skillfully stirred up, to talk to people accused of betrayal only because of their religious beliefs, and even try to "push" into print at least a piece of their confession of what they had to go through. That is why the release of the video report on how the believers of Kolosova village, Ternopil region, blocked the road, surprised at first. Are "Pluses" allowed to hear the voice of ordinary Ukrainians?

It turns out that all ordinary people are equal but some are more equal. It appears that when believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Ptycha village block the road in despair, because of being harassed, slandered and deprived of their property, it is not interesting. Or, at best, the journalists will write about an attempt of "the faithful to Moscow" to seize... their own property. But when supporters of the UOC - KP “fun” in such a way because they cannot register themselves, it is almost a national tragedy of a little man, worthy of being reported in "TSN".

This spring I had an opportunity to attend a meeting of that rural community. I was taken aback by elementary legal illiteracy of the villagers. What seems to hinder the UOC-KP followers to get registered as required by law, for a start? Surprisingly, but they did get around to publications full of gossip and slander about their co-villagers, members of the UOC community. They found time for simulating beatings and maudlin speeches on TV, but were short of it to register their congregation! What's the matter?

The version that the district or regional authorities put a spoke in the UOC-KP believers’ wheel is ridiculous and not worth considering. Just in Kremenetsk district, Ternopil region, in particular, some officials have repeatedly tried to “push” a scam of putting the name of the UOC-KP on the register instead of the active UOC community. Churches are seized, people read lies about themselves in the press, and everybody is content.

What did not work with Kolosova? Even at absolute assisting in the seizure of Orthodox churches law still requires conforming to certain rules. A minimal constructive activity, some steps towards registration are required from extras - representatives of rural communities who all of a sudden have accepted Christ and become active Orthodox Christians. Couldn’t gentlemen, who loudly accused a local resident, a priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, of the "brutal beating" of the KP supporter, have failed to even group up?

It appears that a memorable meeting of the rural community which turned into a real den, KP supporters ... presented as an assembly of the religious parish of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which allegedly agreed to pass into the Kiev Patriarchate hands. Moreover, that memorable day of much ado the proponents of the conflict could not even keep meeting minutes. This fact was later confirmed in the village council. That evening the villagers went their separate ways, hired extras in balaklavas received their pay and dispensed, a jeep with the UOC-KP representatives went off unsatisfied. A "valuable document" was made later, post factum, as it turned out. However, after it was submitted to the officials, the parishioners of the UOC community denied its contents.

A choirmaster of St. John Orthodox community of Kolosova village, Maya Ramska, says that parishioners of the UOC have agreed to return the minority interest of the KP followers, put in the joint construction of the church, to invest it in their own religious center. The village council will meet the needs of the KP, allocating lands for construction of a new church. However, these people seem to need neither a church, nor a prayer, nor an "alternate service", because it requires at least forming the subject for negotiations – a UOC-KP community. And it is unlikely to happen.

The news that the UOC KP community of Kolosova village blocked the highway in protest is in fact far from being true. In this village, where Orthodox believers, advanced in years, didn’t fear to offer rebuff to unwanted guests in balaklavas, there has been no UOC-KP community so far. There is a handful of people who for half a year have been stirring up the village, blocking the road, because it is refused to register at the address of the active place of worship: it is forbidden by law.

The point is that these people want to have a church ready, and if they register, as other congregations do, they will no longer be able to squeeze out the current owners of the church – an active and legally literate UOC community. So, why don’t we block the road for a couple of hours, because our neighbour doesn’t want to register our family in his apartments?

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