UOC hierarch: Except a fugitive schismatic, no one awaits Zoria in Pryputni

The UOC temple in Pryputni was seized by supporters of the OCU. Photo: video screenshot from G. Sukharevsky's facebook page

In addition to the fugitive schismatic and visiting thugs, no one is waiting for the "archpastor" Eustratiy in this village, Metropolitan Clement (Vecheria) of Nizhyn and Pryluky said in a comment to the UOJ about the announced visit of the "hierarch" of the OCU Ivan (Eustratiy) Zoria to the village of Pryputni, Chernihiv region.

Vladyka noted that the villagers "are dead-set against the fact that their religious organization, which has always been active in this settlement, will change its jurisdiction in favor of the OCU."

He recalled that for several Sundays in a row, the believers have been gathering at the village church to express their protest against the actions of the schismatic "clergyman" who, with the support of various ultra-nationalist organizations, deprived them of the opportunity to pray in their church.

“Therefore, if Eustratiy comes to this settlement, obviously, the locals will express their point of view in the same way that no one is waiting for this ‘archpastor’ in the village, except for the fugitive schismatic, banned from priesthood, and visiting hefty youngsters, hired to create a tense situation in the village,” explained Metropolitan Clement.

The hierarch also added that the illegal actions of the regional state administration, which re-registered the statute of the religious community of the UOC in the village of Pryputni against the law, will be appealed in court, since the believers "were surprised to learn that they were ‘transferred’ to the OCU and strongly object to this.”

As reported by the UOJ, an announcement of a "solemn divine service" was published on social networks, which says that "hierarch" of the OCU Eustratiy Zoria is going to serve in the seized church of the Nizhyn diocese of the UOC in Pryputni.

Recall that the church of the Nativity of the Virgin in the village of Priputni was seized on April 4, 2021. About 20 people came to the village to organize the seizure. Some of them were identified by the believers – they were participants in the seizures of the UOC temples in other localities of the region, in particular, in the villages of Kruty, Parafiyivka, etc.

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