UOC priest and parishioners attack journalists in Lviv region
Together with his parishioners, rector of the illegally built temple of the UOC (Moscow Patriarchate) in the city of Brody in Lviv region, attacked the crew of the program “Truth. Investigation”.
The project author, Katerina Shyrokopoyas, told about this to Vgolos.
“Our crew had posed clear and specific questions to the rector of the Moscow Patriarchate’s church in Brody, namely: why, despite the conclusions of the State Architectural Inspection in Lviv region regarding the illegal construction of this religious building, the construction proceeds, while in several meters from the church, the priest has built his own estate. This, as can be seen on the video, provoked aggressive reaction of the parishioners, who were shouting and laughing at the camera, the journalist, the operator, in every way prevented our work, pushed me from the stairs, and finally threw me at the gate of the church. Later, they closed themselves off in the church's territory, and their priest fled banally, shouting this was his private area, and the money was sent to him by his mother, who was working in Italy,” said the journalist.
Note that the project "Truth. Investigation” is published on the NTA channel from March 2017.
The unauthorized construction of the UOC (MP) in Brody has been around for about ten years.
In 1996, the UOC-MP community was officially registered in Brody, and in 1997, priest Yaroslav Ogeruk was transferred from Brody to Ternopil oblast. First, they performed the service in a private apartment, then in a carriage, and then without any documents they built a temple just near the local military unit.
According to Vysoky Zamok, the land under the church, where once there was an old house, was bought by an ex-wife of a judge from Brody. Then she destroyed it. She had a title to land and a document for the construction of an individual dwelling house. She started building it. At the stage of unfinished construction, she presented it to the religious community to the UOC (the Moscow Patriarchate).
As RISU has reported, in early February the members of Lviv Regional Council appealed to the head of Lviv Regional State Administration, Lviv Mayor, the head of the Directorate of the State Land Registry in Lviv region, the director of the Department of the State Architectural and Building Inspection of Ukraine in Lviv region, the head of the State Architectural and Building Inspection of Lviv, Vernychi rural chairman and Stebnyk mayor on the activities of the UOC-MP in Lviv region. This appeal was voted for by 56 councillors.
In the appeal the members of Lviv regional council expressed their concern about illegal actions taken by representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), which consist in the construction of temples in violation of the rules of the current legislation.
The councillors appealed to the head of the Main Directorate of the State Land Registry in Lviv region to verify the legality of land acquisition and the legal basis for their use by representatives of the UOC (the Moscow Patriarchate) in the cities of Lviv (avenue of Chervony Kaliny, 89), Brody, in the village of Vernychi and in the city of Stebnyk.
