Sacrilege at the Altar and Beaten Parishioners – Is This the Real Face of the OCU?

Ukraine—During the night of April 8 to 9, 2025, in the village of Verkhni Stanivtsi, Chernivtsi region, a group of assailants attempted to seize a UOC church. After having cut the locks and kicked in the door, they were confronted by several parishioners who tried to stop them—and paid the price: one young woman had her head bashed with a stick. Shortly afterward, the intruders were expelled from the church.

However, what the faithful saw inside the altar left them shocked. Liturgical vestments were strewn across the floor, the Table of Oblation was desecrated, and the vestry was trashed. From the behavior inside this sacred space, it was clear that those who temporarily seized the church were not Christians, but godless people. The parishioners of St. Nicholas Church were stunned to learn that the man leading this group of thugs was none other than Roman Gryshchuk, a cleric of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). Though he tried to hide his face under a hoodie, members of the parish recognized him.

Gryshchuk: Not Just a Participant, but the Orchestrator of Violence

Prior to the events in Verkhni Stanivtsi, Roman Gryshchuk, a representative of the OCU, had limited himself to incitement—publicly insulting UOC believers, publishing inflammatory posts, and calling for church seizures. Occasionally, he would appear in a cassock at "votes" near churches, but had never personally picked up a crowbar or saw. In this case, however, Gryshchuk crossed a line: he directly led the break-in and, according to one eyewitness, even used physical force himself.

In video footage obtained by the Union of Orthodox Journalists (UOJ), parishioners can be seen asking him why he is breaking the commandment “Thou shalt not steal” and why his associates are beating women. He is then led away, but there is no doubt as to his identity.

Let us remind you: during the attempted seizure, one UOC parishioner suffered a serious head injury. Even if Gryshchuk didn’t strike the blow himself, as the leader of the operation, he must be held fully accountable for his team's actions.

Desecration of a Holy Site

Once inside, the radicals brought by Gryshchuk stormed the altar. They scattered sacred items throughout the sanctuary, but the most horrifying part was their desecration of the Holy of Holies. We do not know exactly what they did to the Table of Oblation (the place where the Proskomedia is performed), but footage clearly shows the doors of the Table thrown open, and the tabernacle—where the Body and Blood of Christ are kept—missing from the Holy Table.

It is important to note that according to the entire Orthodox Church, including the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the UOC is a canonical Church, and its Sacraments are valid and grace-filled. This means that the altar—and the church itself—should inspire at least reverence in any Christian. But instead, the sacred things of the temple evoked only rage and senseless, anti-Christian aggression from these individuals.

This is why what occurred cannot be viewed as anything other than conscious sacrilege. Even after taking over the church, there was no reason for the radicals to enter the altar, much less to commit acts of destruction there.

Every Orthodox Christian knows that the altar is the most sacred place in a church. Entering it without a blessing is a sin. To do what Gryshchuk and his companions did is a crime against God. Everything that happened in Verkhni Stanivtsi defies the logic of Christian life and has nothing to do with the Church or the Gospel.

Will There Be a Response?

Roman Gryshchuk is not just some ordinary activist—he is a public figure within the OCU. His social media features photos with Epiphanius Dumenko. He regularly makes political statements, calling for a “purge” of the UOC. Gryshchuk not only justifies the persecution of believers—he actively calls for it. He has even written that attending UOC churches is equivalent to “supporting Russian occupation.”

Now, his actions have gone beyond aggressive rhetoric. This OCU cleric is no longer merely a propagandist—he is directly involved in criminal acts.

This raises a logical question: what will the OCU leadership say? What will Epiphanius say? Will Gryshchuk be suspended from ministry? Or will he be rewarded for a “successful purge”?

A second, equally important question is this: how will the Local Orthodox Churches that have recognized the OCU as canonical respond? They must now ask themselves: is it acceptable to maintain communion with an organization whose clerics lead the desecration of sacred places?

We are certain that if a group of radicals, led by a priest, had stormed a church of another denomination in any European country—beaten women until they bled, and desecrated holy items—it would spark a national scandal. Criminal cases would be opened, and there would be widespread condemnation from the government and media.

Moreover, imagine if that same priest had been photographed with the head of his church and was a regular figure in the media. What would the public reaction be? Certainly, it would be explosive. But in Ukraine—silence. No reaction from law enforcement. Not a single statement from the Local Churches that commemorate Epiphanius at every Divine Liturgy. Not even the slightest attempt to stop the violence.

When Will the End Begin?

History has shown that when governments turn a blind eye to crimes committed for the "good" of the people it usually ends in bloodshed. And sadly, nothing seems to have changed. If women can be beaten in churches today with impunity, tomorrow, people may begin to be shot.

In this sense, Roman Gryshchuk is not just a notorious figure—of which there are many in the OCU. He is a symptom of the disease afflicting Ukraine’s religious and political system. A disease where, instead of defending human rights and religious freedom, there is lawlessness; instead of Christianity, a gospel of hatred and violence; instead of striving for holiness, blasphemous acts of vandalism. Words fail to describe what our eyes now witness.

The UOC is undergoing persecution that America and Europe choose to ignore. Churches are being cynically and brazenly seized, burned, and demolished by bulldozers. Clergy are being beaten and humiliated, and criminal cases are being filed against them “for inciting hatred”—though one would think such charges should be brought against people like Gryshchuk. UOC believers have been reduced to third-class citizens—non-citizens with no rights at all.

As Christians, we know we must not repay evil with evil. But we are also obligated to speak the truth. This is a truth which other Churches must hear, wherever the Unbloody Sacrifice is offered.

If the Ukrainian state wishes to preserve even a shred of legality, it must immediately respond to Gryshchuk’s actions. Among the first, the American government should demand he be held accountable under Ukrainian law. He cannot simply go unpunished. Otherwise, we are doing nothing more than watching a repeat of the 1930s—just in a new historical form—and doing nothing.

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