UOC-KP MEMBERS VIOLENT CLASH WITH UOC-MP PRIEST
April 25,2010,Vinnitsa
I have edited this posting from reports on the website of the UOC/KP, using machine translations of the original Ukrainian. Below it appears a report from a pro-MP site.
Apparently, a former priest of the UOC/KP, Paul Kucheruk, and his supporters joined with the UOC/MP in January, seizing the church of St. Demitrius of Thessalonica.
The local KP community and priests, learning that bishops of the MP were arriving to re-consecrate the church gathered outside and attempted to force their way in to prevent this from happening. After successfully making their way past the first door. Priest Kucheruk armed himself with a long wood staff and began pummeling the people attempting to pass the second door.Witnesses describe him as looking like a skilled fighter, not as a former priest and not caring if he struck either men or women. One person describes him like this…
” It seems that an unclean spirit entered this former shepherd because he acted insanely with so much hatred in his eyes that most of his supporters could not understand what was happening with their priest. Maybe it was the spirit of hatred, which entered at one time into Judas Iscariot”. Making their way in, with Kucheruk and his people still striking out at them, the KP supporters had had enough of this and fought back ultimately ejected the Kucheruk faction from the church.
UOC/KP say this conflict isn’t over yet “Archbishop” Ioanafan decided to come here to further deepen the already open wound. We also clashed with parishioners of the Moscow Patriarchate, ( which already has a church in the city) and their priest Fr.Alexander. If they want to pray in our church, please do, but they come not to pray, but try to grab our temple. As you know, for many supporters of the Moscow Patriarchate no laws exist, nor God, because they consider themselves to be strong and on this basis are ready to seize anything that does not belong to them. Ioanafan trying to get into the temple of the Kiev Patriarchate failed because parishioners stood up to defend their rights. The attacks end in failure. Come, to us in peace and not of aggressive intentions” … They also asked him why he came here, but clear answers have not been heard. Then, to show their attitude to the work of the Lord, people began to shout: “Down with the Moscow Patriarch, Down with the Moscow thieves! Shame Moscow! Shame! “
Currently, the police have sealed the church and both parties have been warned that whoever breaks the seal will be prosecuted.
This article appears on a pro-MP site with a different view of the details, also describing a fire by arson which broke out during the clash. I haven’t taken the liberty of editing the machine translation on this one…