In Krasyliv, a crowd outside the church votes for its transfer to OCU

Gathering of OCU supporters near the Holy Resurrection Church of the UOC in Krasyliv. Photo: krasyliv-rada.gov.ua

The rector of the Holy Resurrection Church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Krasyliv, Khmelnytskyi region, and dean of the Krasyliv district, Archpriest Vitalii Dunets, has refuted the city council's claims that his religious community had joined the OCU.

In a video message, the priest explained that the vote for the transition to the OCU on April 10, 2023, was organized outside the church fence by unrelated individuals.

“I testify that not a single person belonging to the Holy Resurrection parish of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has transferred anywhere,” said the rector. “Everything that happened outside the fence, on the street, has nothing to do with our Church, our faith, or our temple.”

Fr. Vitalii stated that the unlawful gathering included representatives of other religious groups as well as minors. He also reported that employees of some businesses and institutions were pressured into signing petitions for the transfer of the church to the OCU.

“What is happening is nothing other than a politically motivated campaign. All those signatures collected outside the fence carry no legal weight,” the archpriest stressed.

He also noted that the parishioners of the Holy Resurrection Church had repeatedly held meetings at which they reaffirmed their allegiance to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under its Primate, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry.

“I was born in this city, I live in this city, my family, my loved ones live here. Our city has always been known for interconfessional peace – there have never been conflicts. And now certain forces are trying to pit us against each other, to make us quarrel, insult, and hate one another,” Fr. Vitalii emphasized.

As previously reported by the UOJ, in Khmelnytskyi, OCU supporters seized the Holy George Church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, along with the nearby Spiritual Center.

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