Chernigov RSA refuses to re-register Parafievka community to OCU

A “meeting of the religious community” held without the participation of parishioners of the UOC. Parafievka, 21.06.19. Photo: Nezhin Eparchy

Five out of five documents submitted to the Chernigov RSA for the re-registration of the St. Nicholas religious community of the UOC in the urban village of Parafievka of the Ichnia district, Chernihiv region, were not accepted and returned to the adherents of the OCU, reports blogger Sergei Sirota on his Facebook page.

We recall that earlier a meeting of the territorial community was organized in the village, which decided to transfer the local church of the UOC to the OCU. The event, called the "meeting of the religious community", was held with flagrant violations of the law and without the participation of parishioners of the UOC.

“Instead of calmly (!) creating a religious community of the OCU, according to the Law, the above-mentioned persons (D.V. Ivasiuk and N.K. Borodiy – Ed.) decided to take the documents of the religious community of the UOC and re-register them to a new religious structure! Ivasiuk and Borodiy suddenly became not just parishioners of the UOC but the chairman and secretary of a religious organization that they hate so much! Realizing that they violate the Law, they persistently falsified documents and manipulated people!” the blogger described the events in Parafievka.

He emphasized that any changes to the registration documents can be made only on the basis of a decision of two-thirds of the members of the parish assembly headed by the rector, and “no one else under the LAW has the right to interfere in the activities of a religious organization. The chairman and the secretary misled 219 people who voted for agenda items, contrary to the Constitution and Laws of Ukraine! Shame!"

Also, Sergei Sirota pointed out that all statements, protocols and other documents submitted to the Chernigov RSA have the seal of the Parafievka Village Council, while the head of the Parafievka territorial community denies any interference with the activities of the religious community: “Who else but the chairman of the Council should remember that in the Laws "On Local Self-Government in Ukraine" and "On the Status of Deputies of Local Councils", there is NOT a single article that would allow to interfere in the activities of religious associations and certify documents with the seal of the village Council. Shame on you! For future reference: each religious community has its own seal registered accordingly! And the documents that are submitted to the registration authorities of the State are also certified by the Eparchial seal or a notary.”

The blogger said that the Chernigov RSA returned 5 out of 5 documents necessary for amendments to the statute submitted by the organizers of the territorial community meeting.

“Thank God, in the Chernigov Regional Administration, as it turned out, decent, law-abiding officials work. Respect! And people who tried to falsify registration documents, having no idea of decency, conscience, playing on the religious feelings of people who did not understand the essence and did not know the law, but only obeyed authority and pressure, should be punished according to the Law!” stressed Sergei Sirota.

In conclusion, the blogger called on everyone involved in the attempt to illegally re-register the UOC community to act within the framework of Ukrainian law and God's commandments.

“Your attempts to illegally obtain ownership of the church building and the land plot are doomed to failure, with shame and criminal prosecution. This issue can be resolved in a civilized way – just have a talk and agree,” he concluded.

As reported by the UOJ, on June 21, 2019, in the urban village of Parafievka of the Ichnia district, Chernigov region, a “meeting of a religious community” was organized by an initiative group led by the head of the village council. The local authorities brought the "clergy" of the UOC-KP, while the parishioners of the UOC and their rector were not allowed into the meeting by drunk radicals. Representatives of the media were denied access to the hall either. Believers of the UOC found that the chairman of the Parafievka village community personally ordered the organization of the meeting, the purpose of which was the falsification of the statutory documents of the religious community, and filed a statement about the unlawful actions of the official with law enforcement agencies.

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