OCU explains the use of liturgical books as toilet paper

Liturgical instructions on the toilet floor. Photo: Facebook page of Fr. Georgiy Izai

The press service of the Chernihiv Diocese of the OCU issued an official statement regarding an incident involving the desecration of liturgical literature in the village of Krehaiv.

In the statement, the OCU declared that it had no connection to the toilet where Liturgical Instructions of the UOC, containing service orders and prayers, were being used instead of toilet paper.

"The video circulating online has no connection to our Holy Trinity community. The desecration of liturgical texts occurred in a public toilet at the cemetery, located outside the church territory. Our church has its own restroom, which is kept clean and in order, and the community is not involved in this incident."

The diocese condemned the blasphemous actions, emphasizing that "these actions could very well have been pre-planned to create a propaganda image."

The OCU also called for resistance against the Moscow Patriarchate: "The clergy and believers of the Chernihiv Diocese of the OCU pray for the conversion of all those who still despise the canonical church order and remain under Moscow's delusion. We call on everyone to unite in repelling the attack of Ukraine’s existential enemy – the Russian Federation, which, in fact, is where the center of the Moscow Patriarchate is located."

As the UOJ reported, the incident occurred after OCU supporters took control of the Holy Trinity Church, which previously belonged to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The UOC community's priest published a video showing torn pages of liturgical books used as toilet paper in the restroom.

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