UOC priest: Half of OCU temples are closed in Vyshhorod, so why raid ours?
Parishioners of the Church of St Panteleimon in Vyshhorod unanimously testified their loyalty to the UOC and His Beatitude Onuphry. Photo: t.me/dozor_kozak1
On March 5, 2024, a round table was organized at the Vyshhorod District Administration in the Kyiv region between representatives of the UOC, local authorities, and the OCU. As reported by the Telegram channel "Dozor_kozak1", the reason for the meeting was the raid seizure of Sts Boris and Gleb Church of the UOC, committed by the OCU, and the latter's encroachments on the St. Panteleimon Church.
The rector of the Church of St. Panteleimon, Archpriest Dionysiy Denysenko, informed local officials about the situation in the city, document falsifications, raid seizures of UOC temples, and the closure of three out of six OCU churches in Vyshhorod.
"The temple on the hospital grounds does not work at all. I haven't seen any liturgy there. The new temple of Prince Vladimir is almost closed. The Boris and Gleb Church is almost closed because two liturgies for the cathedral is insufficient. The central cathedral of the city, why is it closed? Why is the chapel in Sholudenko Street closed?" Father Dionysiy asked.
Meanwhile, the raided temples stand closed, but according to the clergyman, UOC parishes continue to live and work: services are held regularly, albeit in repurposed facilities, a volunteer movement continues, Sunday schools of the UOC parishes are functioning. He wonders why temples are taken away from Orthodox Christians of the UOC.
"Again, we tried to convey the truth and the position of our religious community, but they don't want to listen. One representative of the OCU did not come, the other disappeared!" Archpriest Dionysiy wrote on his Facebook page.
As reported by the UOJ, on February 21 and 24, 2024, representatives of the OCU tried to seize the Vyshhorod Panteleimon Church of the UOC, but the believers managed to defend their shrine. On February 27, the persecuted community dispatched humanitarian aid to the front line.
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