OCU seizes St. Panteleimon Church from UOC in Bila Tserkva

St. Panteleimon Church in Bila Tserkva, now under the OCU. Photo: Espreso

On March 21, 2025, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) took control of the St. Panteleimon Church in Bila Tserkva, previously belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), Espreso reports. According to the new “rector” Vitalii Lysiuk, legal disputes over the church had been ongoing since 2024. The UOC community had accused the OCU of document forgery, but the courts ultimately ruled in favor of Dumenko’s followers. The UOC priest and parishioners voluntarily left the church and handed over the keys to the new administration.

According to the website of the Bila Tserkva Eparchy of the UOC, a conciliar Divine Liturgy was held at the church as recently as March 19, led by Metropolitan Augustine of Bila Tserkva. The diocesan press service has not published any statements regarding the surrender of the church.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that on July 10, 2023, the OCU seized the UOC’s cathedral in Bila Tserkva. OCU clerics spent three hours smashing down the entrance doors with sledgehammers.

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