Insults, curses and screams: OCU supporters in Ivachkiv threaten UOC priest

Supporters of the OCU in Ivachkiv village cursed the priest of the UOC and called the television to help them “fight the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.” This was reported by the press service of the Rivne diocese.

On September 13, 2022, the rector of the church, Archpriest Vitaly Kharkevich, with two of his sextons, came to the temple to check whether the locks and the seal, which the temple had been sealed with the day before, were still in place. As the priest says, having examined the premises of the church, he returned to his car and decided to watch for a while.

“I knew that Fr Vitaly went to inspect the temple, because we had information that the followers of the OCU intended to cut the locks and enter the temple. When he called me, being near the territory of the church, his voice trembled, and I could hear screams and swear words. I advised him to call the police,” said Archpriest Vasyl Nachev, head of the diocesan department for interfaith settlement.

Aggressive supporters of the OCU surrounded the rector's car, cursing, threatening and insulting not only him, but also the young fellows, who came with the priest.

The law enforcement officers, who responded to the call, explained to the newly created community of the OCU that the conflict had to be resolved in the legal field, because the religious community of the UOC has the right to a religious building, and the court would determine the owner.

Yet, to get their way, the OCU community even called the local television through an ad that was placed in one of the journalistic communities.

“Not only television arrived, but also several priests of the OCU, which proves the likelihood of the information received – today the OCU community intended to enter the temple for worship,” Father Vasily Nachev notes.

Recall that on September 11, OCU raiders once again attacked the UOC temple in Ivachkiv.

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