Court sentences UOC priest for inverted commas in the word OCU
The judge passing judgement. Photo: depositphotos.com
On 21 August 2023, the Amur-Nizhnedniprovsky Court found the rector of the Holy Protection Church of the Dnipropetrovsk Eparchy of the UOC guilty of inciting religious discord. According to the investigation, the priest published on his Facebook page the word OCU in inverted commas, which "could cause offence among parishioners", the text of the court ruling reads.
The judge noted that by using the word Orthodox Church of Ukraine in inverted commas, the priest spoke about the OCU "with a touch of irony".
According to the verdict, the court found the UOC priest guilty under Part 1 of Article 161 and ordered him to pay a fine of UAH 3,400.
In addition, the rector of the church must pay the state 9,009 UAH for the expert examination which determined the "guilt" of the priest.
As reported, the court sentenced the ex-head and secretary of the Kirovohrad Eparchy of the UOC for inciting religious hatred.
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