Vinnitsa Eparchy: OCU activists put pressure on police and fuel aggression

The action of OCU supporters in Vinnytsia. Photo: the press service of the Vinnitsa Eparchy of the UOC

For its own benefit, the OCU will not even stop at anything to undermine the situation in one of the calmest regions of Ukraine, the press service of the Vinnytsia Eparchy of the UOC commented on the action that activists of the OCU organized on December 12, 2019, at the Main Directorate of the Vinnytsia National Police.

“For almost a whole year, the clergy and believers of the UOC have been trying to draw the attention of society to the fact that the so-called “religious communities of the UOC” do not consist of believing church people but mainly of activists, who, in turn, are not united by faith in Christ or the desire to live the Gospel but purely political convictions mixed with the desire to see temples they don’t go and aren’t intended to go belong to the OCU,” the eparchial press service noted. “So if it’s not the mysterious ‘enemies of Ukrainian autocephaly’ but the OCU supporters themselves who clearly demonstrate their own religious ignorance and, in fact, unbelief, because when they organize an action to publicly dishonor, slander and insult the Vinnytsia police and its chief, they do not disdain blasphemy, calling it ‘prayer standing’."

It was emphasized that with their action organized by the so far unknown "Orthodox Brotherhood of St. Andrew the First-Called", local supporters of the OCU "once again demonstrated that the head of the Office for Nationalities and Religions (Igor Saletsky – Ed.) is so closely connected with Metropolitan Simeon (Shchostatsky) that the criminal cases opened on the facts of law violations by the mentioned official are perceived by the OCU activists as their own prosecution.”

“In conclusion, we would like to add one more interesting fact: according to recently published results of the All-Ukrainian municipal research, which was conducted by the Sociological Group “Rating” commissioned by the International Republican Institute, the Vinnytsia police take the third place in Ukraine in the rating of public confidence. That is residents of Vinnytsia and the region approve of the work of the police, feel protected and trust law enforcement officers. What does the dubious initiative of the "brotherhood and religious communities of the OCU" look like does against the background of this information? Like evidence that this structure does not associate itself with the residents of the Vinnytsia region or as a hint that for its own benefit the OCU will not stop even at “shaking” the situation in one of the calmest regions of Ukraine? Supporters of the OCU, is your Church really Ukrainian?” the press service of the Vinnytsia Eparchy of the UOC wondered.

As reported, on December 12, 2019, fifty supporters of the OCU staged a picket at the Main Directorate of the National Police of Vinnytsia and handed the “Order of Shame” to General Yuri Pedos. One of the organizers of the action is the lawyer of the head of the Department for Nationalities and Religions of the Vinnytsia Regional State Administration Igor Saletsky. The reason for the discontent of the OCU activists was the non-interference of the Vinnytsia police in the clash between dissenters and believers of the UOC.

We recall that after the appeal of the Vinnytsia Eparchy of the UOC, the investigating authorities opened criminal proceedings for arbitrariness against Igor Saletsky. During the investigation, the court suspended the official from performing duties for a period of two months, but the Court of Appeal reversed the decision.

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