Almost half a thousand parishioners in Zastavna declare loyalty to UOC

Parish meeting at the Nativity of the Mother of God Church in Zastavna. Photo: Community's Facebook Page

In the town of Zastavna, Chernivtsi region, 452 parishioners of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God Church officially confirmed their affiliation with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This was announced on the church’s Facebook page. The believers compiled detailed lists of religious community members, including their last names, first names, patronymics, dates of birth, and places of residence. All data were authenticated with the personal signatures of the faithful, confirming their desire to remain within the UOC.

On February 2, 2025, a parish meeting was held in the church, where all 149 attending community members unanimously voted to retain their affiliation with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

"We want to affirm our clear stance. We remain faithful children of the one Church of Christ, profess the Orthodox faith, and confirm our spiritual and canonical unity with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, with its governing center in Kyiv, under the primacy of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine," the community declared.

The legitimate parish meeting was preceded by an announcement on social media about a planned gathering on February 3, organized without coordination with the UOC parish. When a representative of the community arrived at this unauthorized meeting to present the results of the official parishioners’ vote, she was not even given the opportunity to speak.

"We do not recognize meetings held without our participation, as they are illegitimate, and we will defend the rights of the religious community of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God Church in Zastavna," emphasized the church community. "We will appeal to law enforcement authorities to defend our church, which we built with our own hands, efforts, and resources. A church that has become our home, where we offer holy prayers before the throne of God in these difficult times for our land, for our Ukrainian people, where mothers pray for their sons and all Ukrainian soldiers who have been defending our native Ukrainian land since the beginning of the full-scale invasion."

Earlier, the UOJ reported that parishioners in Ust-Putyla also voted to remain loyal to the UOC.

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