OCU activists attempt to seal the church in Morozovka

The Holy Dormition Church of the UOC in Morozovka. Photo: UOJ

The rector of the church Archpriest Nikolai Brega told a UOJ correspondent that he saw the chairman of the Baryshevka village council of the Kiev region Alexander Varenichenko and the deputy of the Morozov village council Vladimir Lysenko arrive at the temple. Later, they were joined by several OCU activists, who had never attended worship services before.

"I live here in the village, I saw and immediately went to the temple," said Archpriest Nikolai.

He immediately wrote a message to the congregation that the OCU supporters were going to seal the temple, and about 80 parishioners of the Holy Dormition Church gathered within 30 minutes.

An active discussion began between them and the activists who had arrived. 20 minutes later, local authorities got into the car and drove away, without having sealed the church.

In an interview with the UOJ correspondent, the rector of the Holy Dormition Church also refuted the information spread by Metropolitan Alexander (Drabinko), banned from priesthood for falling into schism, that allegedly "the overwhelming majority of the parishioners are determined to be in the bosom of the Church of Ukraine".

“The meeting was even earlier, the overwhelming majority wanted to stay in the bosom of the canonical Church. And Drabinko was brought signatures of six months ago. Then they went from house to house, people were not told the whole truth. And still, about 300 signatures were collected in the village with more than 2,000 population,” said Archpriest Nikolai.

And he noted that those who signed up did not come either to the temple for prayer or for cleaning the territory near the temple.

"Drabinko pressed saying: "Get out of here, traitor" and called me "Judah". As soon as I visited Metropolitan Anthony (Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) of Borispol and Brovary – Ed.), Chancellor of the UOC, it all began. These are his personal ambitions that speak in him. He threatened to send ATO soldiers to me. And I help these soldiers so much,” added the priest.

Earlier, Drabinko said that he was blessed to take away the Holy Dormition Church in Morozovka from the religious community that had returned to the UOC. According to Drabinko, the rector’s decision to return to the UOC was made "contrary to the decision of the participants in the parish meeting of their religious community of March 1 of the current year, because the overwhelming majority of the parishioners resolutely wish to be in the bosom of the Church of Ukraine". Metropolitan Alexander said that “since all the property of the parish is owned by the aforementioned local religious community”, he “blessed” to seal the temple and dismiss Archpriest Nikolai Brega “from his posts of rector of the Holy Dormition parish of Morozovka village, Baryshevka district, Kiev region, and dean of Baryshevka Deanery of Pereyaslav-Vishnevoye Eparchy of the OCU”.

Read also