In Pishchane, OCU raiders stage a rally in UOC church during the service
Provocation of supporters of the OCU in the UOC temple in Pishchane village. Photo: telegraf.in.ua
On September 3, 2023, a group of men with athletic builds stormed the Assumption Church of the UOC in the village of Pishchane in the Poltava region at the beginning of the Divine Liturgy, interrupting the service and staging a rally demanding the transfer of the parish to the OCU. This was reported by the press service of the Kremenchuh Eparchy of the UOC.
The provocation mainly involved residents of the neighboring Kirovohrad region, in particular, residents of the Vlasovka settlement. According to preliminary information, they were employees of the "Korolivsky Smak" enterprise, whose management organized this action.
The "activists" were accompanied by a film crew from the "5 Kanal" TV channel.
The newcomers behaved very aggressively. They brought banners with political slogans, insulted the priest and parishioners, used obscene language. The raiders organized a "vote" for the "transition" of the church to the OCU and then declared that they would submit their "decision" on changing the jurisdiction of the parish to the authorities.
After leaving the church, supporters of the OCU continued to rally in the churchyard.
Earlier, the community of the Assumption Church declared its loyalty to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
As reported by the UOJ, on September 5, 2023, a group of raiders, led by "priest" Vitaliy Matiyashchuk from the OCU, cut locks and seized a UOC church in the Bortnychi micro-district of Kyiv.
Read also
Dumenko "blesses" SBU facility for forensic examination
The head of the OCU noted the "special role" of the Institute of Special Technology and Forensic Expertise of the SBU.
ROC head: Attempts to impose special powers of Pat. Bartholomew are sinful
Patriarch Kirill stated that the doctrine of special powers of the Patriarch of Constantinople is being imposed from outside.
Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces LGBT festival near Sodom and Gomorrah
Israeli authorities are promoting a large-scale gay event at the Dead Sea on social media, which has caused criticism and bewilderment among Christians.
In Bila Tserkva, man nearly killed for greeting "Christ is risen!"
Two non-Orthodox individuals aged 19 and 23 tracked down a 35-year-old Orthodox Christian after an Easter greeting, knocked him down and inflicted several knife wounds to his abdomen and neck.
In Uganda, Islamists kill Protestant pastor after sermon
In Uganda, a Protestant church pastor who preached among Muslims was stabbed to death after a sermon.
Spanish court rules Jehovah’s Witnesses may be called a “destructive sect”
A court in Spain has upheld the right of critics of Jehovah’s Witnesses to speak openly about the group’s alleged harmfulness and danger to society.