Bukovyna believers: UOC communities do not move to OCU in Banyliv-Pidhirny

The Ascension and Holy Spirit Churches of the UOC in Banyliv-Pidhirny. Photo: the UOJ’s collage

The religious communities of the Church of the Ascension of the Lord and the Church of the Holy Spirit in the Bukovynian village of Banyliv-Pidhirny remain faithful to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). According to the website of the UOC believers of the Chernivtsi-Bukovyna Eparchy, the information in the media regarding the "transition" of these parishes to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is a fake.

Believers of the Chernivtsi Eparchy emphasize that the information, spread on social networks and online publications on May 4, 2025, stating that two UOC parishes in Banyliv-Pidhirny allegedly expressed a desire to join the OCU, is untrue. It is noted that the religious communities of the UOC churches of the Ascension of the Lord and the Holy Spirit did not participate in any voting and did not express a desire to change their church jurisdiction.

"Apparently, instead of UOC believers, parishioners of the OCU voted – from two other churches, also located in the village of Banyliv-Pidhirny. For a better understanding of the situation, it should be noted that there are four churches in the village: two belong to the UOC, the other two to the OCU. The villagers have long decided which churches they attend, and the UOC believers did not participate in the mentioned 'voting,'" the message reads.

The Bukovyna believers believe that the purpose of this "voting" was not to express the real will of the community, "since everyone coexisted peacefully and had the opportunity to freely attend their churches".

"This arrangement looks like an attempt by Mr. Hryshchuk to create another picture for reporting to the customers who need 'statistics on transitions' (actually, seizures) of churches in our eparchy and other regions of Ukraine," the message concluded.

As reported by the UOJ, on May 4, 2025, in the village of Banyliv-Pidhirny in the Chernivtsi region, OCU supporters, with the support of local authorities, held a territorial assembly, during which they "transferred" the Ascension and Holy Spirit Churches to the Dumenko structure.

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