Raiders from OCU seize the church in Lesnyky by cutting locks at night
A church in the village of Lesnyky. Photo: Wikipedia
On January 10, 2024, raiders from the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) cut locks and seized the Transfiguration Church in the village of Lesnyky, Kyiv Oblast, as reported by "Dozor na 'Pershomu Kozatskomu'" ("Patrol on the First Cossack").
Details of the seizure are still being clarified.
As previously reported by the UOJ, in April 2022, during the liturgy on Palm Sunday, activists-raiders, under the guise of a religious community, transferred the church to the OCU. The UOC faithful stated that behind the illegal collection of signatures was "Metropolitan" of the OCU, Alexander (Drabinko).
Members of the legitimate religious community reiterated their loyalty to the UOC, stating that they do not wish to switch allegiances.
Read also
U.S. political analyst: Bishop Budde is a 'tool of Satan'
Political analyst Mark Steyn blasted Episcopal Bishop Budde’s stance on families with gay, lesbian, and transgender children.
Archbishop Anastasios of Albania laid to rest in Tirana
The Primate of the Albanian Church was laid to rest in the crypt beneath the Resurrection Cathedral.
UOJ opens its branch in Albania
The new European organization Union of Orthodox Journalists has opened a branch in Albania.
In Bukovyna, UOC believers appeal to Vance on the eve of OCU’s church raid
The parish also invited a UN monitoring group and an OSCE human rights officer.
Abducted by military commissars, archimandrite reveals TRC detention details
The abbot of the monastery in Babai described the conditions in which clergymen are held in the military recruitment center.
Council of Churches in London discusses religion in Ukraine with British MPs
The meeting addressed religious freedom in Ukraine and the challenges faced by various denominations during the war.