Kamyan-Kashyrsky community converted to OCU while rector was at the front

The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kamyan-Kashyrsky. Photo: kamin.rayon

On September 4, 2023, the authorities of Kamyan-Kashyrsky in the Volyn region illegally re-registered the community of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the UOC to the OCU, reports the UOJ correspondent.

Information appeared in the Unified State Register about changing the name and leader of the community. Its name was changed to "Religious Organization Religious Community of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine of the city of Kamyan-Kashyrsky in the Volyn region". The leader of the community, Yuriy Mykhailov, who has been leading the community for thirty years, was replaced by Oleh Mytsko.

The tense situation around the church has been ongoing since 2019. On May 6, 2022, parishioners of the parish held a meeting of their religious community, where they unanimously confirmed their loyalty to the UOC under the leadership of Metropolitan Onuphry. The rector of the church immediately informed the local authorities about this. However, OCU activists constantly attempted to pressure members of the parish to seize the church.

As reported by UOJ correspondent, the UOC community was re-registered against its will based on the application of unidentified individuals who have no relation to the parish.

Members of the parish call such actions particularly cynical because, according to the order of 278 of the Kamyan-Kashyrsky district state administration, the rector of the parish was sent to the combat zone to deliver volunteer aid to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

In connection with this, the UOC community appealed against the illegal registration actions of the Department of Culture; a statement regarding the fact of illegal changes in the register has been submitted regarding a number of criminal violations; the actions of the registrar have been appealed to the Ministry of Justice. The Volyn regional military administration, the regional police department, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of Justice have been informed about possible provocations and forcible seizures.

Earlier, UOJ wrote that the rector of the UOC church in the city of Kamyan-Kashyrsky told how he and his community managed to defend the church from OCU activists.

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