In Zastavky, OCU seizes church despite parish’s decision to remain with UOC

The church in Zastavky. Source: Khmelnytskyi Eparchy

In Zastavky, Khmelnytskyi region, supporters of the OCU, together with the village elder, took over the Holy Trinity Church, according to the eparchy.

Direct participants in this church raid were the director of the local cultural center, Olha Rudyk, and the village elder, Nadiia Stasiuk, who are not members of the religious community.

The eparchy notes that a previous attempt at a forceful takeover on June 8 this year was unsuccessful.

“This time, without any warning to the rector and members of the religious community of the Holy Trinity Church in Zastavky, the organizers and executors of the illegal takeover, sealing the door locks with airtight materials, forcibly took control of the church building,” the press service of the eparchy reported.

All this was done secretly, despite the fact that on November 25, 2023, the religious community of the Holy Trinity Church in the Krasyliv deanery confirmed its loyalty to the UOC and had no intention of transferring the church to the jurisdiction of Dumenko’s structure.

“At present, local UOC believers in Zastavky are continuing to face threats of violence for professing their Orthodox faith and their decision to remain within the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the leadership of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy of Kyiv and All Ukraine,” the eparchy notes.

At the same time, prayer life in the village will continue. The expelled community will gather in a repurposed building to continue praying for our state Ukraine, the defenders of our homeland, and the entire Ukrainian people, as well as to actively engage in volunteer activities with the parish priest, Archpriest Vasyl Khiliuk, who has personally gone to the front lines several times with humanitarian and spiritual missions to our defenders of Ukraine,” the eparchial press service reported.

The community hopes to return their church through legal remedy.

As reported by the UOJ, the Khmelnytskyi Eparchy commented on the takeover of the church in Pylypy.

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