In the Rivne region of Ukraine, the police began an investigation against a priest who is suspected of having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old resident of one of the local villages. UNIAN reports this.

Criminal proceedings are carried out in accordance with Part 1 of Article 155 of the Criminal Code (sexual intercourse with a person who has not reached puberty). It provides for punishment in the form of imprisonment or restriction of freedom for up to three years.

The investigation was launched after the mother of the minor filed a complaint with the police.

Meanwhile, information was previously disseminated in the Ukrainian media that a young priest from the Rivne region was suspected of rape. "Ukrainian News" , citing a source in the regional department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, reported that the investigation was being conducted under Article 152 of the Criminal Code (rape). The agency noted that the suspect has not yet been detained.

Details of the incident were reported by Komsomolskaya Pravda in Ukraine . According to the publication, the incident occurred in the village of Vytkiv between 15-year-old Galya and a 22-year-old priest of the UOC (Moscow Patriarchate) named Nikolai.

The newspaper noted that local residents were not inclined to blame the priest. According to the villagers, whose story is cited by KP, the girl herself showed signs of attention to the young man and came to his house at night. At the same time they say about the priest that he was “drinking.”

There are rumors in the village that Nikolai has “already been defrocked” for his misconduct. In the Rivne diocese of the UOC-MP, as the publication notes, they do not comment on the situation.

Ukrainian priest suspected of having sex with a minor