UOC community, which lost its temple, blocked from building a new one

Posters in Myshiv against the UOC. Photo: Raskolam.net

In the village of Myshiv in the Volyn region, supporters of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) have decided to block the construction of a new temple for the UOC community, as reported by Bug publication.

In 2020, the UOC community lost its church when it was seized by supporters of the OCU, forcing the UOC believers to conduct their services in a repurposed facility. On March 26, residents of Myshiv noticed tractors near this building and blocked the construction. OCU activists began to threaten the head of the territorial community, Lydia Tomashivska. In case the construction resumes, they threaten to pay "a visit" to Tomashivska. According to OCU supporters, the construction of the new UOC church is illegal.

"There are no architectural and construction permits and cannot be. No one could give permission to build a religious building in a residential area. Secondly, there is no development plan for the village. And the most interesting thing is: how will she explain her actions to the wives and mothers of soldiers who are currently on the front lines?" said OCU supporter Volodymyr Matviyuk.

As reported by the UOJ, on January 26, 2020, OCU activists, led by a newly appointed "priest", broke open the bell tower and cut the locks off of the St. Nicholas Church of the UOC community in the village of Myshiv, Ivanychiv district, Volyn region. The police, responding to the call, only took photographs of what was happening.

Read also