In Baranivka, a crowd transfers the church to the OCU
The Nativity of the Theotokos Church in Baranivka, Zhytomyr region. Photo: church-2366.site
Supporters of the OCU "voted" to transfer the Nativity of the Theotokos Church, belonging to the UOC, in Baranivka, Zhytomyr region, to the jurisdiction of the OCU. This was reported to Ukrinform by Baranivka Mayor Oleksandr Mihei.
According to him, immediately after the vote, the church was closed to believers and sealed. Mihei also noted that the church grounds were being guarded by police officers and members of volunteer territorial defense units.
At the same time, the mayor mentioned that the keys to the church were not handed over to the "new owners", and the parish priest, Archpriest Roman Klym, refused to join the OCU.
"The religious community’s charter will be re-registered soon. <…> The church building is owned by the UOC, but the land beneath it belongs to the city council," he added.
As previously reported by the UOJ, UOC believers managed to defend their church in Baranivka.
Read also
Moldova lacks capacity to maintain 800 temples it intends to seize from Church
According to the Minister of Culture, authorities plan to seize 800 churches from the Moldovan Church, but they lack the capability to manage them.
Court returns seized church to UOC community in Ivankiv
The appellate court declared invalid the re-registration of the UOC community of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the town of Ivankiv.
2,800-year-old seal with biblical symbols found in Israel
Israeli archaeologists have found a stone seal from the era of Judean kings with an inscription in ancient Hebrew.
Pope warns clergy against writing AI-based sermons
The head of the Roman Catholic Church warned priests about the risks of using digital technologies in ministry.
UOC parishes abroad hold memorial services on war anniversary
Clergy and faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church abroad prayed on the fourth anniversary of the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
Persecuted UOC parish in Tovtry performs reading of Great Penitential Canon
Another Bukovynian community, deprived of its church, continues Great Lent services in an adapted facility.