Head of Zdolbunov DSA: I have the right to inventory church property

In Bushcha, officials did not let the believers in the church under the pretext of inventory

A video appeared on the Web about how OCU supporters are disrupting Sunday services for the priest and believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the village of Bushcha, Rovno region, with the head of the Zdobunov District State Administration Sergey Kondrachuk trying to enter the temple allegedly for inventory.

"I have the right to go to the temple and make an inventory of religious property and things in accordance with Article 29 of the law ...," said Kondrachuk emotionally.

Then he appealed to the police: "If the temple is not opened and they do not give me this right, it will be a gross violation of the law."

At the same time, the questions of the priest of the UOC and the parishioners what law he was talking about and who gave him this right was left unanswered by the official.

Article 29 of the Law of Ukraine “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations”, to which the official apparently refers, states: “Ensuring the fulfilment and compliance with legislation on freedom of conscience, worldview, religion and religious organizations is carried out within their competence <...> by local executive authorities and local governments."

Why the head of the DSA believes that inventory is within his competence remains unknown.

We recall that on February 24, 2019, UOC believers could not attend the Liturgy in their own St. Michael’s Church in the village of Bushcha of the Zdolbunov district. On the church territory, they were awaited by OCU supporters headed by the head of the District State Administration Sergei Kondrachuk, who demanded the keys to the temple.

To avoid confrontation, the UOC believers began to serve a moleben and an akathist on the street near the church, while OCU supporters blocked the entrance to the church.

Later, to avoid seizure, the church was sealed by the head of the village council and the cleric of the UOC Protopriest Alexander Stetsiuk.

As the UOJ reported, the head of the Zdolbunov District State Administration Sergey Kondrachuk is associated with the seizure of a number of UOC churches in the Zdolbunov district: in the villages of Kunin, Buderazh, Urvenna and Kopytkovo. On February 9, 2019, in Kopytkovo Kondrachuk headed the seizure of the Holy Cross Church. Then the locks on the church doors had been previously replaced by the unknown, while Kondrachuk had the keys, explaining this fact that he "found them on the road". On February 10, the first service of the OCU took place in the seized temple, and the official hurried to report this on his Facebook page.

We recall that Sergey Kondrachuk in 2018 wrote a statement to the police and the Security Service of Ukraine demanding to bring to justice the dean of the Zdolbunov Deanery of the UOC Protopriest Yuri Shevchuk, to conduct searches in the temples of the UOC, as well as to deny registration to the Zdolbunov Deanery of the UOC. The reason is the collection of signatures to Patriarch Bartholomew against the creation of the SLC.

At the same time, the head of the DSA declared the following: “... I strongly ask the representatives-priests of the MP never to contact me for help with anything. You are unlikely to be welcome guests at events organized by the DSA, while I am the leader. I have never concealed the fact that I am a staunch KP follower.”

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