Police seal a UOC church in Vendychany, Vinnytsia region

UOC Church in Vendychany. Photo: 33kanal.com

In the village of Vendychany, Vinnytsia Region, the police sealed the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, which belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).

Earlier, members of the territorial community declared at a meeting that they had re-registered the parish from the UOC to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) and had legally formalized ownership rights to the church and the adjacent land.

However, UOC believers confirmed their desire to remain under the omophorion of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry and organized a watch at the church to prevent it from being taken over by OCU raiders.

When the church’s rector, Archpriest Anatoliy Kiryachuk, went on a pilgrimage, representatives of the OCU attempted to enter the church but faced resistance from UOC believers.

To resolve the conflict, the police were called, and they sealed the building. The lock on the door was installed by OCU representatives, who presented documents proving ownership rights.

The Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos is an architectural monument. It was built on the site of an old wooden Church of the Ascension, which was dismantled in 1850. The construction of the new stone church began in 1834 and was completed in 1874.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that UOC believers in Vendychany had defended their church from being transferred to the OCU.

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