Ukraine's Canonical UOC Says Its Church In Western Ukraine Seized By Schismatic OCU

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th April, 2023) Members of the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) took control over a church in western Ukraine, which belongs to the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), during the funeral service of a killed Ukrainian soldier, the UOC said on Wednesday.

"On April 5, a brutal takeover of the St. Michael's Church in the village of Zadubrivka in the Chernivtsi region was carried out by representatives of the OCU right in the middle of the funeral service of a killed Ukrainian defender," the UOC said.

The ambulance had taken the hegumen of the church to a hospital following the takeover, the UOC added.

Kiev has increased its pressure on the UOC against the background of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine.

Some local authorities in Ukraine have decided to ban the activities of the UOC due to alleged ties with Moscow and a bill was submitted to parliament to outright ban the church in the country last year. In addition, sanctions have been imposed on some members of the UOC clergy.

The OCU was established on the basis of two schismatic organizations in late 2018. In 2019, the Patriarchate of Constantinople gave the OCU a "tomos of autocephaly" � an ecclesiastical document essentially granting recognition � which resulted in a serious conflict between Constantinople and Moscow.