In Bukovynian village of Banyliv-Pidhirny, two UOC temples "join" OCU
The Ascension Church of the UOC in the village of Banyliv-Pidhirny, Chernivtsi region. Photo: Facebook
On May 4, 2025, in the village of Banyliv-Pidhirny, Chernivtsi region, OCU followers, with the support of local authorities, held a territorial assembly during which they "transferred" two UOC churches to the structure of Epifaniy Dumenko. The news about this illegal raid was shared on Facebook by the notorious "chaplain" of the OCU, Roman Hryshchuk.
The temples in question are the Ascension of the Lord and Holy Spirit Churches of the UOC.
According to Hryshchuk, these two Orthodox communities "voted at their assembly to leave the Moscow Patriarchate."
However, in the photos and videos shared by Hryshchuk, it is clear that the meeting took place not in the churches but in the square, and the actual parishioners of the mentioned churches did not participate in the gathering.
As reported by the UOJ, Epifaniy Dumenko, the head of the OCU, awarded his Bukovynian cleric Roman Hryshchuk, who had been involved in the nighttime breaking into the St. Nicholas Church of the UOC in Verkhni Stanivtsi, as well as organizing fraudulent church transfers from the UOC to the OCU.
Read also
Dumenko: Russian shelling only underscores the “canonical” status of the OCU
Serhiy Dumenko assured that the OCU “opposes discord by seeking accord, peace, and unity.”
Venezuela’s opposition leader hands Trump her Nobel Peace Prize medal
During talks at the White House, Venezuela’s opposition leader presented the U.S. president with the Nobel Peace Prize medal she received for her struggle against the regime in Caracas.
New UOC church of St. Basil the Great consecrated in Krasnoilsk, Bukovyna
The rite of consecration and the festive service were led by Metropolitan Meletiy of Chernivtsi and Bukovyna.
New men’s monastery founded in UOC's Oleksandriia Eparchy
The Holy Transfiguration monastery will become a center of prayer and spiritual care in the region.
European Parliament honors memory of Archbishop Anastasios of Albania
For the first time, the European Parliament hosted an event dedicated to the life and works of the late Primate of the Albanian Church.
UN seeks to include abortion and gender ideology in “children’s rights”
In Geneva, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child is considering a draft that proposes to enshrine for minors the right to abortion and gender transition without parental consent.