Raiders seize St. George's Church of UOC in Khmelnytsky
St. George's Church in Khmelnytsky. Photo: Telegram channel of the Khmelnytsky diocese of the UOC
On April 10, 2023, in the city of Khmelnytsky, supporters of the OCU seized the St. George Church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the nearby Spiritual Center. This was reported by the press service of the Khmelnytsky diocese of the UOC.
Around 4 p.m., a group of raiders, dressed mainly in sportswear, entered the temple grounds. Unable to cope with the central door of the church, the assaulters broke open the side door and entered through the sacristan’s section and the altar.
After that, the invaders, led by the deputy of the regional council Yuri Smal and the deputy of the city council Vitaly Pidhaychuk, held a meeting at which they voted for the transfer of the temple to the OCU.
The press service of the diocese notes that the meeting was attended by people who had nothing to do with the St. George community of the UOC, and all of them were pre-registered to vote. At the same time, the parishioners of the church who came to the planned assembly were not even allowed into the temple territory.
The clergy and believers of the UOC appealed to law enforcement agencies.
As the UOJ reported, on April 4, 2023, the Khmelnytsky Regional Council decided to ban the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the region, while the City Council took away all land plots from the UOC, including the one on which the St. George Church stands.
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