UOC community "transferred" to OCU after provocation with warrior's funeral

The territorial community decides the fate of the UOC parish after the provocation of deputies and the OCU in Vyzhenka. Photo: 0372.ua

On March 23, 2024, in the village of Vyzhenka, Chernivtsi Oblast, local authorities held a meeting of the territorial community, during which they "transferred" the St. Nicholas Church of the UOC to the OCU. The reason for this was a provocation regarding the alleged refusal of the UOC parish rector to bury a fallen warrior on March 16. This was reported by the local media outlet 0372.ua.

Instead of conducting the funeral service for the soldier in their own church, representatives of the OCU, without warning, came to the St. Nicholas Church while the parish rector of the UOC was in another village.

Soon after, People's Deputy from the European Solidarity party Iryna Nikorak posted on her Facebook page a call to seize the St. Nicholas Church, claiming that the UOC priest allegedly refused to conduct the funeral service for the deceased soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"They say the church was closed, don't we respect all the heroes? They are all dear to us. There were a few days before the funeral; the family approached me, and we said the church would be open. There was time to resolve this," the parish rector, Father Antoniy Fedorashchak, attempted once again to appeal to the conscience of the supporters of the OCU.

Father Antoniy reminded that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been with the people since the beginning of the war. "We donated 43 thousand hryvnias from our parish," he added.

The clergyman also pointed out that in the village, people have different religious preferences: there is an OCU parish, there is a Protestant denomination, and there are believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The group that initiated this meeting, he emphasized, has no relation to the religious community of the UOC. He stated that the parish would defend its rights by all legal means. After the priest's speech, the Orthodox believers, who had come with him, left.

As reported by the media, 237 residents of the village of Vyzhenka voted in favor of "transitioning" to the OCU. It is claimed that the "voting was unanimous".

As reported by the UOJ, according to media reports, the secretary of the Khust diocese was mobilized and sent to the training ground.

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