Rector of Nichohivka church describes how his parish was seized

Fr. Taras Bernyk, rector of St. Nicholas Church of the UOC in the village of Nichohivka, Manevychi district. Photo: screenshot from the Kolky Deanery's website

Fr. Taras Bernyk, rector of St. Nicholas Church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the village of Nichohivka, Manevychi district, said the trigger for the conflict in the village was the seizure of a church by OCU supporters in neighboring Krasnovolia just days earlier. He shared this in an interview published on the website of the Kolky Deanery.

According to the priest, local authorities – in particular Fedir Svytach, head of the Krasnovolia village council, which administers Krasnovolia, Nichohivka, Telchi, Mateiky, and Pohulianka – played an active role in the so-called “transfer,” personally organizing a meeting of the territorial community at the local club.

“OCU supporters ignored me as the rector of the religious community and began collecting signatures without my knowledge. During the process, activists exerted psychological pressure on fellow villagers, misrepresented the purpose of the signature drive, demanded passport data, and many people did not understand what they were signing,” Fr. Taras said.

On January 26, the day of the seizure, the priest went to celebrate the evening service.

“About a hundred people were already waiting for me at the church, demanding the keys. The activists mentioned above, along with others, blocked me and pressed me against a nearby car. The village head Fedir Svytach and a dean of the UOC-KP, Andriy Zakydalskyi, took an active part in this lawlessness. The day before, I had called the police after receiving a call from Vasyl P., who demanded that I hand over the church keys,” he said.

Fr. Taras emphasized that the police did not respond to his requests for help and simply observed what was happening:

“I should note that the village head’s own brother works in the police and was present at the scene. Intoxicated men were grabbing me by my clothes, while Halyna P. was putting her hands into my pockets looking for the keys. Then the crowd pushed me into the churchyard, toward the entrance.”

“After four hours of psychological pressure, accompanied by obscene insults directed at me, I was forced to open the first door – into the narthex. The second door into the church was opened by Halyna P. Unfortunately, blood was shed – a local resident, Volodymyr M., struck his own sister Nina V., injuring her face. Strangers came to her aid, while her own relatives stood aside because she was for the ‘Moscow Church,’” the cleric said.

The priest added that representatives of the UOC-KP refused his proposal to hold services alternately.

“We will now rebuild our liturgical life together with the parish community in a local hut. And one more thing: after the Sunday liturgy on January 27, I filed a complaint in Krasnovolia with the police regarding their inaction,” he explained.

The following day, January 27, Fr. Taras received a call from the village council demanding that he remove his belongings from the church house.

As the UOJ previously reported, the UOC community in Nichohivka continues to exist despite the seizure of the church.

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