In vlg. Pishchiv, OCU members seize UOC Church of the Nativity of Theotokos

On October 23, 2022, in the village of Pishchiv of the Novohrad-Volynsky district, Zhytomyr region, supporters of the OCU gathered near the UOC church of the Nativity of the Theotokos and did not allow the priest to approach the temple door. They accompanied their actions by singing the Ukrainian anthem. The video of the seizure was posted by the head of the All-Ukrainian organization “Women's Power of Ukraine” and lawyer Viktoriya Kokhanovska on her Facebook page.

According to the UOJ source, earlier, OCU clerics held a meeting of the local territorial community, passing it off as a meeting of the UOC community, and voted for the transfer to the OCU. However, the believers defended their church. Then Dumenko's supporters re-registered the community in the USR and, having received the relevant documents, declared themselves the owners of the Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos.

When the priest tried to stop the raiders and enter the church, he was pushed aside and the doors were blocked. The police present at the scene did not intervene in the incident.

"Church seizure in the OCU style.... And necessarily desecrating God and His house with the Ukrainian anthem. Thereby conducting their "ritual" (supporters of the OCU – Ed.) believe that they have tied God to the state. They do not know prayers and have never even stood on the threshold of the church, so in the OCU style they are trying their best in the service of the wicked," Viktoriya Kokhanovska commented on the video.

As reported, the Tarasivka community once again defended the temple from the takeover by the OCU.

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