OCU followers seize UOC church in vlg Penkivka, Vinnytsia Eparchy
On March 13, 2022, supporters of the OCU seized the St. Nicholas Church of the UOC in the village of Penkivka in the Lityn district of the Vinnytsia Eparchy, reports Matushka Svitlana Nedypich, the wife of Father Vitaliy, on her Facebook page.
"Three years of confrontations, threats, accusations, lawsuits of the religious communities of the OCU against the UOC in the village of Penkivka," Matushka wrote. “The result: despite the court decisions in favour of the UOC, despite the difficult situation in the country, when Christians have to unite against the common enemy and pray to God for peace... About 100 men from the neighbouring villages + a grinder – against 20 elderly women armed only with prayer... the triumph of Orthodoxy in the Penkivka way".
Svitlana stated: "While the enemy of Ukraine is tearing it up from the outside, our sons are dying, men are at war, the 'patriots' at the rear are tearing it up from the inside, fighting 80-year-old women and children.”
As the UOJ wrote, the parish of the St. Nicholas Church of the UOC in the village of Penkivka has resisted the forced transfer of the church to the OCU since 2019.
Read also
Ukraine must have its own faith: Poroshenko's party lays out peace terms
Poroshenko’s party European Solidarity described church policy as a matter of national sovereignty and said there can be no compromises in this area.
432 UOC churches damaged in Ukraine during war, report says
According to the Religion on Fire project, 807 religious buildings in Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed as a result of hostilities.
DESS official gives number of clergy exempt from mobilization in Ukraine
A DESS representative said the actual number of clergy exempt from mobilization is significantly lower than the number of religious organizations designated as critical.
Cabinet keeps gas prices unchanged for religious organizations
The Cabinet has fixed gas prices for religious organizations through the end of the 2026–2027 heating season.
Concert held at seized Cherkasy cathedral
The OCU thanked the musical ensemble for choosing the Cherkasy cathedral as the venue for a Baroque music concert.
OCU activist admits breaking into UOC church in Sloviansk
Oleksandr Onyshchenko said that the OCU held its first "service" at the Seraphim Church, which had previously been broken into by forcing the locks and doors.