Capture of the UOC Church in Zabolotye: Gas canisters and fire extinguishers instead of the Gospel

The head of the department for the settlement of interfaith conflicts of the Rivne eparchy of the UOC, Archpriest Viktor Zemlyanoy, spoke about  the situation that has developed as a result of an attempt to seize St. John the Theological Church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the village Zabolotye of the Varash district of the Rivne region.

“Now the parishioners of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have managed to remove the gates and enter the territory of the temple, although the temple itself is still blocked by adherents of the OCU, who not only threatened us, but also used physical force against the female parishioners of the UOC, doused us with powder from fire extinguishers, poisoned us with gas from gas spray cans. We are currently waiting for the police from Rivne, as the local police are inactive. We hope that the temple will be unblocked and we will come to some kind of compromise,” said Archpriest Viktor Zemlyanoy.

After a six-hour confrontation, the believers of the UOC managed to reach a dialogue with the supporters of the OCU, and as a result of the negotiations, the police sealed the temple, and the keys were given to the representatives of law and order for safekeeping.

“The organizers of the church conflict in Zabolotye can be considered two people: the deputy of the Varash city council Gennady Derevyanchuk and the villager Ivan Melnik,” said Archpriest Viktor Zemlyanoy, head of the department for the settlement of interfaith confrontations in the Sarny diocese of the UOC. “The law enforcement officers were negotiating with them.”