Bukovyna church where UOC Primate’s father ministered transferred to OCU

Voting in Berezhonka. Photo: t.me/orthobuk

On 29 October 2023, the authorities of Berezhonka of the Banyliv united territorial community (UTC), Chernivtsi region, organised the "transfer" of the UOC temple, where the father of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry served, to the OCU, reports the press service of the Chernivtsi-Bukovyna Eparchy.

It is noted that the citizens who participated in the vote are not members of the religious community of the UOC. Moreover, among those who voted there were representatives of Protestant movements.

The "transition" of the UOC temple to the OCU was organized by the chairman of the Banyliv UTC Vasyl Solomko, a native of Galicia, who in 2019 personally participated in the forceful seizure of St. Michael’s Church of the UOC in the village of Berezhnytsia.

The eparchy recalled that in 2019 Solomko "brought a bus full of 'titushki' (men of strong build) to take over the temple".

According to the residents of Banyliv UTC, the "change of church jurisdiction" of the UOC temple of Berezhonka was backed by the SBU, police and military, who organised roadblocks within the village so that, as they say in the eparchy, no one could interfere with the "correct expression of will".

The Bukovyna eparchy suggested that "such careful preparation is caused by the fact that in 2019 there was already an attempt to seize the UOC church in the village of Berezhonka but then it did not succeed, as the religious community defended the shrine".

As earlier reported, the community thwarted the provocation of the UOC-KP in the church where the father of the UOC Primate served.

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