In the village of Olesk, Volyn region, OCU raiders are trying to seize the Holy Spirit Church of the UOC, but the Orthodox community, led by a young priest, stands firm in faith. It is reported by the UOJ.
The schismatics have long been eyeing the ancient Holy Spirit Church of the UOC, built 133 years ago, but after the arrival of the “priest” of the OCU, Bogdan Zdrok, a real war began in the village. Under the guise of patriotic slogans, Zdrok and other activists of the OCU set the inhabitants of the village against the believers of the UOC, who had previously been indifferent to the affairs of the Church. On May 25, Dumenko’s followers held a meeting of the territorial community, passing it off as a meeting of believers. Realizing that this would be followed by the seizure of the temple, on May 29, the community of the UOC also held a meeting, unanimously speaking in favor of remaining faithful to the canonical Church.
OCU activists staged provocations, threatened the believers of the UOC, even those who did not go to church. A large family was told that they would write a denunciation to the juvenile service if they dared to come to pray in an Orthodox church. The elderly priest Alexander Dorotyuk began to have health problems, and a young priest, Father Vadim, was sent to help him in the village. The schismatics immediately dubbed him a “Donetsk priest” because his car had Dnepropetrovsk license plates.
The persecution was initiated by OCU “priest” Bogdan Zdrok, who became famous for the events in the village of Zacherneche, where he tried to turn local residents against the believers of the UOC back in winter. At one time, Zdrok was a parishioner of the UOC and even wanted to become a priest, but he was refused, suspecting that he had a mental illness, which manifested itself in inappropriate behavior. Offended, Zdrok went to the OCU, where he was immediately ordained.
OCU activists, at the suggestion of Zdrok, offered to serve in the Olesko church in turn, so that the communities do not intersect with each other. As a result, the temple was sealed, and services were not held in it. On June 28, OCU raiders staged a provocation: they called the police to the temple, saying that weapons or explosives were stored there. Law enforcement officers checked the locks and made sure that the locks did not open. The schismatics staged a provocation in order to find out who kept the keys to the temple.
On July 2, OCU activists staged a rally near the temple and stated that they would not let UOC believers even into the territory near the temple. Shouting aggressive chants, they blocked the road and demanded the keys to the temple from Dean Vasily Melnichuk, who had arrived in the village. The police again arrived in the village, about 70 people, according to local residents. At the request of the OCU activists, they opened the temple and made sure that there was nothing forbidden there. In order to calm people down, law enforcement officers asked the UOC priest and the head of the schismatics to persuade people to go home. Father Vadim did just that, but the OCU activists remained at the temple, creating the appearance of a majority. The policemen offered to give the keys to them, which the UOC priest did. Everyone’s keys were sealed and sent to the police department.
Due to the aggressive actions of the schismatics, the situation in the village deteriorated sharply. The community of the Holy Spirit Church of the UOC asks for prayers and stands firmly in the faith.
“We are offended and sad that our fellow villagers have become enemies. People who lived side by side in the same village now call some Muscovites and others patriots. This is wrong,” Father Vadim said.
