Attempt to seize UOC temple in Luka-Meleshkovskaya

May 30, 2020. The supporters of the OCU put their lock on the church doors and blocked the entrance to the Holy Transfiguration Church, where there are parishioners of the UOC.

On May 30, 2020, in the village of Luka-Meleshkovskaya of the Vinnitsa district, Vinnitsa region, aggressive OCU activists made another attempt to seize the Holy Transfiguration Church of the UOC, the reports the press service of the Vinnitsa Eparchy.

As the rector of the church, Archpriest Vasily Almuhamed, said, the attack on the temple began after 12:00.

“The so-called activists of the OCU approached the UOC church in the village of Luka-Meleshkovskaya in the Vinnitsa region,” the eparchial press service said. “The schismatics began to call the priest of the UOC dirty words, which is the absolute norm of communication for them, they also called so the police officers. <…> We remind you that for previous attempts to forcefully seize the UOC church in this village, during which there were victims, no one was held responsible. Impunity breeds a new evil.”

At first, activists, including a local school teacher, demanded that the temple be sealed, and then, according to information received from the eparchy office, they put their lock on the church doors and blocked the side entrance, with the believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church inside the church. The schismatics knock out phones from the hands of parishioners, behave aggressively and threaten to seize the temple by force.

“We draw the attention of law enforcers, journalists and government officials to another provocation of OCU activists in the village of Luka-Meleshkovskaya, which occurs during the period of quarantine restrictions in Ukraine and can give rise not only for the next raiding but also put at risk the health of believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, who are common citizens of Ukraine,” emphasizes the press service of the Vinnitsa Eparchy.

Sources:

https://spzh.news/en/news/71795-aktivisty-pcu-snova-pytajutsya-zahvatity-khram-upc-v-luke-meleshkovskoj

https://spzh.news/en/tag/goryachaja-tochka–luka-meleshkovskaja-735

https://eparhia.vinnica.ua/2020/05/30/vidbuvaietsya-chergova-sproba-zahoplennya-hramu-upc-v-seli-luka-meleshkivska-predstavnikami-pcu/