OCU raiders seize UOC temple in vlg Repna with the help of the authorities

On June 13, 2022, in the village of Repna, Volochysk district, Khmelnytsky region, a meeting of the territorial community was held, at which the residents decided that the believers of the temple of Cosmas and Damian, who belong to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, should pass to the OCU. This was announced by Alena Burka on her Facebook page.

However, as Burka reported indignantly, the priest of the church, Father Roman, and other believers of the UOC “continue to resist, viz. they refuse to show documents, give the keys to the church owned by the community, shout out slogans about “raider seizures” of the church, arrange “secret meetings" in the same church and carry out "revision work". Expressing the point of view of OCU activists, Burka stated that "membership in a religious community is not measured by the number of church attendance or the amount of funds donated (as someone mistakenly believes)". Therefore, she expressed confidence that the UOC temple should become the property of the villagers.

However, until mid-July, Father Roman did not let the OCU raiders into the UOC temple, and the schismatics “served” on the street.

Deputies of the Khmelnytsky City Council decided to assist Dumenko's supporters. In order to "stimulate" the communities of the UOC to more actively move to the OCU, they proposed to seize the land plots being in their use. According to the mayor Alexander Simchishin, following the meeting of deputies, the Land Resources Department was instructed to prepare a draft decision on the termination of the right to use land by religious organizations under the control of the "Moscow Church".

“The owners of such land plots are the community, and after the termination of the right of permanent use, it will be possible to transfer these lands to religious organizations that understand the price of Ukrainian statehood, the price of Ukrainian security, that pray in Ukrainian for the Ukrainian army, for the Ukrainian victory and for the Ukrainian future,” said Semchishin. He did not specify what would happen to religious buildings located on such land plots.

Under pressure from local authorities, on July 15, the schismatics nevertheless gained access to the church of Cosmas and Damian, and the “priests” of the OCU entered the temple premises, hoisting the state flag over the shrine. Nothing is said whether services are held there.

As the UOJ wrote, OCU raiders seized the temple of the UOC and beat a woman in Pyrohivtsi.

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