Volyn Eparchy: Why take away a church if you do not perform services?

The Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Sadiv, taken away by OCU activists. Photo: pravoslavna.volyn.ua

The press service of the Volyn Eparchy of the UOC, commenting on the situation around the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in vlg. Sadiv of the Lutsk district, Volyn region, wonders: Why take away a temple if you do not worship in it?

 “On June 7, 2020, when the fullness of the Orthodox Church celebrates one of the twelfth holidays – Holy Trinity Day, OCU supporters of the village of Sadiv did not perform services in the taken away church,” says the statement of the eparchial press service. “As reported by the OCU community, the service did not take place because the local "priest" of the OCU is on sick leave. Meanwhile, old-time villagers recall that their temple did not close even during the persecution of the Soviet Union, and divine services were always held in it.”

There is a strange coincidence of the sick leave of the OCU “priest” Nazar Partyka and his interrogation as part of a pre-trial investigation into the case of illegal re-registration of the right of ownership of a residential building in which the family of the UOC clergyman, Archpriest Vladimir Meles, resides. Also, on sick leave was the second person involved in open criminal proceedings – a local official who is suspected of committing forgery while registering the ownership of this church house.

“Does anyone else have doubts about the legality of the transfer of the UOC community of Sadiv to the OCU and the legality of taking away the temple if the main initiators of such actions are the village chief Ivan Shendiukh and the local "priest" Nazar Partyka went to hospital immediately after the interrogation by law enforcement bodies? Conclusions suggest themselves,” noted the press service of the UOC Volyn Eparchy.

Meanwhile, parishioners who remained faithful to the UOC pray in adapted room, which was filled with people o Trinity Sunday.

“It’s all because when people have true faith in their hearts, no illnesses or vacations prevent them from celebrating the Holy Days together with the entire Orthodox Church,” the press service emphasized.

We recall that in March 2019, the court ordered to launch an investigation into the violation of the believers’ rights in Sadiv.

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