Radicals of OCU expel believers during the liturgy in Vinnytsia region

On May 22, 2022, supporters of the OCU disrupted the service in the church in honor of the First Martyr Archdeacon Stefan in the village of Cherniatyn, Zhmerynka district, Vinnytsia region. Shouting patriotic slogans, obscene chants and threats against the priest and parishioners, the activists drove the believers out into the street, and in the temple they held a so-called community meeting, at which they voted for the transition to the OCU. The video of the disrupted liturgy was published on its Facebook page by the press service of the Vinnytsia Eparchy.

As a source at the parish told the UOJ, the meeting was attended by the head of the Unified Territorial Community, Vasyl Maliarchuk, who was one of the initiators of the “transition” to the OCU and actively campaigned for it. The activists who disrupted the liturgy held a vote, which, according to the source, "could hardly be called a vote – it was shouting and cursing." None of the parishioners and members of the community took part in this meeting.

Also, about 25 police officers were present on the territory of the temple, who simply watched and did not interfere in what was happening.

After the vote, declaring the temple to be theirs, the supporters of the OCU arbitrarily changed the locks on the doors.

The church in honor of the First Martyr Archdeacon Stefan was created by believers of the UOC from 2013 to 2019.

There was no one among those people, who aggressively broke into the temple on May 22, who would help in its construction,” our source explained. “The rector of the temple collected donations bit by bit and also took part in its construction, while supporters of the OCU came to everything ready and seized the temple.”

Earlier, the UOJ reported that in Sulymiv, Lviv region, the OCU and the Right Sector seized the temple of the UOC.