The police of Rivne will be guarding temples
October 31, 2016. After identifying the latest series of robberies of churches in the region, the national police of Rivne region (Ukraine) decided to guard the temples, as reports information service of the UOC.
On the night of October 28th to 29th the criminals again tried to rob two churches of Rovno Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, thus law enforcement officers promised to guard the temples, as reported by the UOC Information and Education Department.
The press service of the Rivne diocese notes that according to the abbot Herman (Kulakevich), the rector of St. Nicholas Church village Gilcha first Zdolbunov district, the criminals broke into the front door of the temple and the first door of palamarka, but they didn’t manage to enter the church.
The situation is different in the village Velbivno, Ostrog district. According to Archpriest Alexander Maksimyuk, the dean of the churches of Ostrog district, the vandals knocked the door in the Holy Protection Church, entered and desecrated the temple, turned over the church utensils, but didn’t find the money.
This is the second case in the Rivne diocese over the past week. Two temples of Ostrog deanery of the Rivne diocese of the UOC in the two neighboring villages – Sejanci and Tesovaja- were robbed in the night of October 21st to 22nd. Then the criminals stole donations for children with cancer.
On the facts of intentional damage to property the police officers launched a pre-trial investigation in criminal proceedings under Part 1 of Article 194 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. This Article provides for a fine or corrective labor for up to two years, or up to three years imprisonment.
It should be noted that in Rivne region the criminals for several years have been robbing temples of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church unpunished. Last year alone, more than twenty acts of vandalism and robbery of churches were committed, none of the criminals up to this point have received due punishment.
According to the National Police Department Communications Division in the Rivne region, the police in cooperation with the public forces will be guarding the temples of the Rivne region to prevent further thefts from churches.