OSCE reps reported on seizure of churches in Ivano-Frankivsk Eparchy
Officials of the Ivano-Frankivsk Eparchy (UOC) met with the OSCE Monitoring Mission to discuss the situation with the seizure of churches in Probiynivka and Gryniava.
On January 21, 2020, Archpriest Vasily Romaniuk, the secretary of the Ivano-Frankivsk Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, met with representatives of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, reports the eparchy’s press service.
During the meeting, which was held in the office of the OSCE Mission in Ivano-Frankivsk, the parties discussed the state of religious freedom in the region and the observance of the rights of believers of the UOC in the Carpathian region. In particular, the talk was about the seizure of the temples of the canonical Church in the villages of Probiynivka and Gryniava of the Verkhovyna region.
We recall that the St. Demetrius Church of the UOC of the village of Probiynivka was taken over by the OCU supporters on December 15, 2019. Unknown persons who introduced themselves as “ATO warriors” broke locks and sealed the temple. This was preceded by the illegal re-registration of the religious community of the UOC to the OCU.
In December 2019, supporters of the newly formed church structure also seized the Holy Assumption Church of the UOC, which is part of the same temple complex in the village of Gryniava.
