“A sect": in Rivne OCU "bishop" attempts to oust UAOC community from church

A picket of the defenders of the St. Nicholas Church in Rivne. Photo: UOJ

On January 12, 2021, in the centre of Rivne, a scandal broke out around the St. Nicholas Church belonging to the UAOC community, which is being evicted from their own church, and the initiator of the eviction is the so-called “bishop” of the OCU Gabriel Krizina, reports a UOJ correspondent.

As eyewitnesses say, this is the second time they are trying to expel the community from the church, arguing that it has no right to maintain the premises. Representatives of the UAOC are convinced that they have all the necessary documents, including the ownership of the church.

Local residents, who came to defend the St. Nicholas Church, call "Bishop" Gabriel Krizin of Rivne and Volyn the initiator of the conflict, who, as they believe, liked the attractive piece of land in the city centre. However, the "bishop" of the OCU is convinced of the opposite, assuring that he has every right to claim this temple.

“This community does not belong to any Orthodox Church in Ukraine. It's a sect. We went to court, reached the cassation court, did everything in a legal manner, did not seize, so now let the executive service fulfil its duties. This property is ours and it will be ours,” believes Krizina.

At the moment, because of the picket at the walls of the church, the executive service failed to carry out its intention, the service representatives promised to return in ten days.

As the UOJ previously reported, in Lviv, a "priest" of the OCU closed the church for parishioners and handed it over to his daughter.

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