Representatives of the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) have taken control of a church belonging to the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in Bortnychi, in the southeast of Kyiv. The UOC press service reported this incident.
"In Kyiv, a cleric of the OCU, Vitaliy Matiyashchuk, along with unidentified individuals, cut locks and forced their way into the Protection Church of the UOC (Bortnychi district). The raiders began their actions on the night of September 5. The rector of the Protection Parish, Archpriest Alexiy Godun, is calling on the faithful to gather at 9:00 near the church for a prayerful defense of the sanctuary," stated the UOC's Telegram channel.
The congregation of the seized Protection Church in Bortnychi has decided to conduct daily prayer vigils at the church gates, inviting all believers to participate. This was announced by the rector of the parish, Archpriest Alexiy Godun. "We have decided to conduct a permanent prayer vigil every day at the gates of our church and celebrate the Divine Liturgy. We invite everyone to join our prayer. Together, we will pray to protect our sanctuaries!" quoted the priest by spzh.news.
Ukrainian authorities have openly pursued a course of restricting the UOC. A bill aimed at banning the canonical church has been prepared by the government on the instructions of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Local authorities are depriving the church of the right to lease land for churches. Furthermore, with the encouragement of the authorities, schismatics from the Orthodox Church of Ukraine are forcibly taking over UOC churches and attacking priests. Charges of treason and other crimes are being brought against clergy, and sanctions are imposed. Notably, at least 13 UOC hierarchs have been stripped of their Ukrainian citizenship.