Ugrinov village, the Ukraine, August 19, 2015
Head of the community of the so-called “Kyiv Patriarchate” in the Ugrinov village of the Horikhiv district of the Ukraine’s Volhynia region Nikolai Seget has informed the family of the cleric of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate Fr. Rostislav Sapozhnik, who serves in this village, that the family needs to pay 60,000 hryvni (the basic monetary unit in the Ukraine) to the “Kyiv Patriarchate’s” community, reports Pravlife.org.
“According to the decision made by the assembly of parishioners of Ugrinov village on 07.09.14, you need to pay for use of the residential house – 25 the Naberezhnaya Street, Ugrinov village – for the fourth quarter of 2014 and first-second quarters of 2015 to the cashier’s office of the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in the Ugrinov village by 27.08.2015,” said N. Seget to Archpriest Rostislav in a letter, dated August 18.
According to the schismatics, the Sapozhnik family owes 60,000 hryvni to the parish of the “Kyiv Patriarchate” for a 10 months “lease”. In case of nonpayment, representatives of the “Kyiv Patriarchate” reserve the right to go to the law with the petition for a forced confiscation of rent and forced eviction of the family from the “rented” dwelling.
According to Pro.church.ua, the Sapozhnik family has resided and has been registered in this house for 17 years. The schismatics started making claims to the dwelling right after the seizure of the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the rector of which was Fr. Rostislav. The community of the “Kyiv Patriarchate”, which is Under the patronage of deputy Andrei Turak, managed to privatize the above-mentioned house with the family registered in it as well as a piece of land (around which the judicial proceeding is going on).
“Interestingly, though all the events are being controlled by businessman and deputy of the Volhynia regional council A. Turak, his name does not appear on any of the judicial papers: all the “historical” documents are signed by cleric of the “Kyiv Patriarchate” Nikolai Seget, for whom the village house is apparently being vacated in this way,” Pro.church.ua comments the situation.
It has also been noted that Seget has his own place of residence, while there is one more house on the territory of the Church of Exaltation of the Cross which is well-fit for human habitation and has been equipped with all the necessary facilities by the Sapozhnik family. Nevertheless, the schismatics are continuing to terrorize the cleric of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, trying to exact money and threatening him with eviction and litigation.
“It should be noted that the mentioned document is addressed not only to Archpriest Rostislav and his wife (who is a director of the church choir), but also to their underage sons. Therefore, Mr. Seget is unceremoniously forcing an 11-year-old school student and a 17-year-old university student to leave the house in which they have been lawfully registered, though they have no other place of residence,” the authors of the Pro.church.ua portal write in conclusion.
The Church of Exaltation of the Holy Cross in the Ugrinov village was taken over by the schismatics on September 10, 2014. Since then church services for the faithful members of the canonical Church have been celebrated in the house of Archpriest Rostislav Sapozhnik.
