In Tovtry, OCU supporters from a security company block UOC church

Security company "Tiger". Photo: “Tiger” emergency response unit

On June 2, 2019, young people of athletic build from the security company "Tiger" blocked the UOC community from entering the seized Holy Dormition Church in the village of Tovtry of the Zastavna district, Chernovtsy region, reports the press service of the Chernovtsy-Bukovina Eparchy.

The OCU supporters did not allow Archpriest John, the rector of the Holy Dormition Church of the UOC, to celebrate the Liturgy.

The priest and the believers of the religious community served on the road outside the gate of the temple.

The eparchy reports that earlier believers performed services on the territory of the seized church, under its walls, but since today they haven’t had such an opportunity.

“We are obliged to note the complete lawlessness and systematic discrimination against believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Bukovina,” the press service of the eparchy says.

The Chernovtsy-Bukovina Eparchy will request law enforcement agencies and the Security Service of Ukraine to assess the actions of the security company to prevent the priest from entering the church.

As the UOJ reported, at 11:00 on Saturday, May 18, law enforcement officers helped supporters of the OCU to seize the Holy Dormition Church in the village of Tovtry in the Zastavna district of the Chernovtsy region. Representatives of the National Police formed a "human chain", pushing back the religious community of the UOC and letting in the OCU activists who cut locks on the church. In their actions, the activists were guided by the illegal order of the head of the Chernovtsy RSA Mikhail Pavliuk on the re-registration of the UOC religious community into the OCU.

The religious community of the UOC of the village of Tovtry, whose church was seized by OCU supporters backed by the authorities and police came to the RSA building. The UOC believers performed the evening Divine service outside the building of the Chernovtsy RSA because now they have no place to worship.

After the UOC church was seized in the village of Tovtry, the believers of the Chernovtsy Eparchy started 24-hour prayer standing at the walls of the local regional state administration.

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