In vlg Stary Zagorov in Volyn UOC believers defend the temple from seizure

Proponents of the OCU at night tried to cut the locks on the UOC church in the village of Stary Zagorov in Volyn

Believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church organized a duty at their church in the village of Stary Zagorov, Lokachi district, Volyn region, and they call on the OCU followers to settle everything in a civilized manner. The church conflict in the village was reported to the journalists of Avers TV channel.

Parishioners reported that at night they were awakened by the bell ringing. When they came to the church, they found that supporters of the OCU wanted to cut the locks on their temple.

“The Church in which I baptized, in which I baptized my kids is the Church I want to be with,” one of the parishioners told the reporters. “It is neither German nor Russian – it is the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Well, now they want another Ukrainian Orthodox Church, so what – are we going to change it? This is not just gloves and boots. We want to live in the faith in which we have lived all our life, like our fathers, like our grandfathers.”

According to the people, earlier in the village an illegal meeting was held on the occasion of the transfer to the OCU and signatures were collected at the polling station with the participation of observers and members of the election commission. Now, based on the results of this meeting, activists demand that they give them the keys to the temple.

Believers complain that the state and the law are not on their side, they want to separate people according to the principle – those who are not for OCU are for Russia.

“Instead of ending the war in the east, the government unleashed a new one – religious,” say the believers.

It should be noted that the supporters of the OCU themselves called journalists to the scene but the former didn’t agree to any negotiations.

“They called you so that you (journalists – Ed.) came but they hid and we stayed. Now we are on duty here and will continue to be on duty,” the believers of Stary Zagorov village reported.

The parishioners are sure: all issues need to be resolved in a civilized way, because against the background of the church theme in the village now there are only discords, even within families. They declare that they do not want to have a strife with the adherents of the OCU, offer them to find a new room for the arrangement of the church, or even to build a new one, but in no case will they give up their temple.

As the UOJ reported, after the seizure of St. George's temple in the village of Peski of Volyn region, the UOC community has held services in the garage of the rector.

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