Drabinko: Temple in Morozovka occupied by Moscow Patriarchate

"Worship" of the OCU in the village of Morozovka, Kiev region. Photo: Facebook

"Hierarch" of the OCU Alexander (Drabinko) stated that the UOC church in the village of Morozovka, Kiev region, was occupied by the "Moscow Patriarchate" (as Drabinko calls the canonical Church – Ed.). The "bishop" stated this on his Facebook page, where he posted a number of publications about the "inhospitable" parishioners of the UOC who do not want to let Alexander (Drabinko) and supporters of the OCU to the temple.

Also, the "hierarch" of the OCU visited Morozovka on January 26, 2020, and held a "worship service" at the local cafe "Nataliya" for two dozen of his followers.

“The Divine Liturgy with the OCU public was celebrated in an adjusted room, since it was impossible to enter the Holy Assumption temple, occupied by the Moscow Patriarchate,” Drabinko wrote later.

In the cafe, Drabinko delivered a sermon in which he reminded the audience: they are here because nobody “tells them to go to Moscow or somewhere else.”

“We have our own Church, our own language, our own land – why should we have a leash walk from someone? Do we really have no mind of our own?” he turned to his adherents.

Calling on the supporters of the UOC to “stay away from Moscow”, Drabinko at the same time served the “liturgy” in Morozovka using the communion cloth, blessed by the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. It has the inscription "with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow."

In addition, the “hierarch" complained in the context of the confrontation he was fanning in Morozovka that "it is very unfortunate when the church becomes a place of discord, a place where we get emotional problems, when pastors and shepherds become blind."

Before arriving in the village, in one of his publications on Facebook, Drabinko addressed in a rather harsh manner the rector of the UOC temple in Morozovka Nikolai Brega, who informed him that he would meet with him “in court”, and also “recommended” the clergyman to meet him in the village and to stand with him on the same throne, as Father Nikolai "would sensibly do in his time".

Due to the announcement by the "hierarchy" of the OCU of his visit to Morozovka and mass seizures of the temples of the canonical Church by activists of the OCU, the Assumption temple of Morozovka village is under the protection of the employees of Stels-1 Security Company. After preaching about spiritual blindness of pastors, he referred to their protection in the Drabinko’s territory protected by them as guarding the temple “from villagers and believers”, while  in another Facebook publication he accused the UOC religious community of the lack of hospitality.

“The Morozovka parish of the Assumption of the Virgin in the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate, led by priest Nikolai Brega, was noted today for their fraternal “hospitality” in relation to their fellow villagers,” he said.

Recall that the community in Morozovka, under the influence of the Tomos propaganda, at the beginning of 2019 moved to the OCU (under the protectorate of Drabinko), but in July of the same year returned to the canonical Church. The rector and the community repented of their deed. A document on this was signed by more than 300 people. Drabinko called the repentance of Fr. Nikolai Brega and parishioners as "falling to their knees in front of the khan in a white hat."

After the religious community of Morozovka decided to return to the fold of the canonical Church, "metropolitan" Alexander blessed to take away the temple from them.

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