In Berezhnitsa of Chernovtsy region a UOC temple being taken by assault

The temple of Archangel Michael, Berezhnitsa village, Vizhnitsa district, Chernovtsy region

In the village of Berezhnitsa, Vizhnitsa district, Chernovtsy region, the OCU activists are storming the building of the local UOC temple in honor of the Archangel Michael. It is reported by the press service of the Chernovtsy-Bukovina Eparchy of the UOC.

The attack on the temple began from 7 am to 8 am on Thursday, March 7. About 100 people from “activists”, 80% of whom are outsiders, broke into the church territory. Among them are three “clerics”: Nikolai Zozulia (vlg. Milievo), Alexander Fushtey (vlg. Kibaki) and Petro Moroz.

Father Konstantin, the rector of the parish, the UOC priest, stands at the entrance to the church.

“They were ripping off his skoufos, battered him, but he did not step away from the doors of the temple,” reported the diocese. “People, believers of the religious community, continue to prayer in a closed temple. The temple is not captured.”

The police squad was called to the scene; the aggressive OCU supporters allowed only their own folks to the church premises.

10:00 – The head of Banilov village arrived and the OCU activists let him onto the church premises. The chairman has a talk with the invaders, what they talk about is unknown.

11:10 – The priests of the UOC begin to arrive in Berezhnitsa but neither they nor the UOC believers are allowed into the church territory. A prayer service is performed at the church gate.

12:11 – Activists put forward a demand: either to introduce alternate worship services or to seal the temple so that no one could hold services. The press service of the diocese reminds that there are three temples of the UOC KP nearby (in the villages of Banilov, Kibaki and Milievo).

12:47 – It became known that Alexander Kiselitsa, the head of the Vizhnitsa police head office of the Kitsman central office of the National Police State Department in Chernovtsy region, arrived at the scene. 20 women, residents of Berezhnitsa village, are allowed onto the church premises.

15:50 – The situation is growing very tense; activists are trying to find the keys to the temple. Many people came from neighboring villages, some are drunk.

They brought along and read out a court decision obliging law enforcement agencies to begin criminal proceedings regarding the obstruction for the parish of the Archangel Michael of Berezhnitsa village to perform religious rites. The police are watching the developments.

16:30 – Parents of the UOC rector were not allowed to enter the temple to see their son.

The storming of the temple and the insolent intervention in the life of the parish’s religious community has continued for 8 hours now, the police are just watching.

The OSCE international mission refused to conduct monitoring in Berezhnitsa because of a possible threat to their health and life.

17:00 – Rural head V. Solomko continues the pressure on the parish priest so that members of the community leave the temple and believers who are praying at the gates on the street go home. The chairman promises that in this case those who demand the keys to the temple will go home too. And supposedly then on Sunday, Fr. Konstantin, the temple rector, will be able to serve the liturgy with believers.

However, it is precisely known that in the neighboring village of Kibaki, the liturgy was already abolished in the church of the Kiev Patriarchate for the following Sunday. The parishioners of the UOC KP were told that the priest of the Kiev Patriarchate would serve the liturgy in the church of the Archangel Michael in vlg. Berezhnitsa.

18.00 – A new wave of commotion was caused by the actions of activists who began to knock at the door of the church. The police calmed them down because it would provoke an uncontrollable course of events.

20.00 – Empathetic residents of Berezhnitsa, neighboring villages, nuns of St. Anna Convent bring along buns, sandwiches, hot tea. Berezhnitsa is close to the Carpathians and it quickly gets cold here.

The people do not leave, although they hear mockery in their address: "We will take the temple, whatever you do."

21.00 – The abbot puts a loaf of bread and a plastic bottle of water for the people on the window-sill of the altar window: the believers have been praying in the temple for 14 hours. Proponents of the OCU spotted this, dropped the bottle, the believers only managed to pick up the bread through the window.

22.00 – The chairman of the village and the head of the Vizhnitsa police station went home to have rest. Supporters of the OCU, the police personnel, the religious community and the believers, who had gathered in support, remained at the temple. Opponents are separated by the fence.

23.00 – The village chairman of Banilov, Vasily Solomko, who left one hour ago, returned but not alone – a school bus arrived with him having delivered 30-40 strong-built men from Banilov village.

23.50 – The fight begins. The activists attacked the UOC believers. The police are inactive. Young guys of 20-25 years old, who were brought by the village head, are all drunk. The believers who stand outside the gates of the temple, write statements. They suffered injuries, most likely their fingers are broken. According to eyewitnesses, the police personnel mostly twisted the arms of only the UOC believers.

01:13 – Additional police squads were called. The fight is over. The village chairman of Banilov provoked a fight with his actions. He said before the religious community of the church and the believers who had come to support: “There will be only the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) in this village. Get out of here.”

01:24 – The head of the village council voiced a compromise version so that the people would go home: “Let Father Konstantin serve in the temple this Sunday. On Sunday, only locals registered in the village will be allowed to enter the temple. On Monday, the OCU initiative group will turn to the court to be recognized as a religious community. While the court trial continues, let Fr. Konstantin serve.” Eyewitnesses are perplexed: "Is it in the competence of the rural head to determine who can go to the temple and who cannot?" The rector of the temple, Father Konstantin, assured that he allows all people into the church. But the activists of the OCU did not agree to the compromise.

Recall that at yesterday’s extraordinary meeting of the village council of Banilov, initiated by the adherents of the new church structure, the officials did not make any decisions about the church in honor of the Archangel Michael in Berezhnitsa. The chairman of the Banilov village council, Vasily Solomko, announced that the decision of jurisdictional issues was not within the competence of the head and deputy body of the village council, therefore, according to the law on local self-government, no church decisions would be made at the session. The official called for keeping peace and public order in the village asking the people to solve everything peacefully among themselves.

“We sincerely believed in the goodwill of officials and OCU proponents to have peace ...” the diocese says. “One can recall the words from the song by ‘Ocean of Elza’: ‘Our eyes have been softly closed, our lips have been covered with honey, and our souls have been merely thrown on the ground ...’ We ask for your holy prayers for peace in this village, for the multiplication of love between people... "

The editorial board of the UOJ reminds: in case of violation of the rights of the episcopate, clergy, laity and institutions of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (obstruction of worship, seizure of temples, commission of provocations and pressure, threats, etc.) one should immediately contact the Legal Department of the UOC by phone: 097- 537-55-96.

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