OCU activists seize UOC temple in Novozhyvotiv, Tulchin Eparchy

The Holy Protection Church of the UOC in Novozhyvotiv of the Orativ district, Vinnytsia region. Photo: “1Kozak” Facebook page.

In the village of Novozhyvotiv of the Orativ district, Vinnytsia region, OCU activists seized the church of the Holy Protection community of the Tulchin Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, reports the “1Kozak” channel on its Facebook page with reference to the rector, Archpriest Pyotr Monastyrsky.

According to the priest, on October 3, the raiders cut off the locks on the Holy Protection Church and hung up their own, and on October 5 they entered the church and locked themselves there. The believers of the UOC, led by the rector, called the police, whose representative, after a long skirmish with the schismatics, was still able to enter the premises.

As it turned out, the invaders refer to the court decision of September 6, which partially satisfied the claim of the OCU activists who wanted to get the keys to the church. The court denied them access to the keys but ordered the representatives of the Tulchin Eparchy of the UOC not to prevent access to the premises of the church. Now the parishioners of the UOC in Novozhyvotiv cannot enter their church.

As reported, on September 3, 2021, supporters of the OCU seized the St. John the Theologian Church in Krasnoselka, previously sealed by the police. In the Tulchin Eparchy, they condemned the seizure and decided to send a letter of protest to Zelensky, while the Legal Department of the UOC reported the affected community still has legal mechanisms that allow it to protect its rights.

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