In Harkusyntsi, OCU supporters take away church from UOC community

The community of St Barbara’s Church of the UOC in the village of Harkushyntsi. Photo: a video screenshot of the TCM YouTube channel

In the village of Harkushyntsi of the Myrhorod territorial community, Poltava region, OCU activists are attempting to take over St Barbara’s Church from the believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, report suspilne.media and argumentua.com.

The activists from Dumenkove are using a raider scheme used in many communities across Ukraine: on August 20, 2023, the OCU "clergy" held a meeting with villagers at a school, where the territorial community members voted to transfer St Barbara’s parish to the structure of the OCU.

During the event, the local "dean" of the OCU, Pavel Yakimenko, claimed that his organization "prays for Ukrainian soldiers and is on Ukraine's side, while the 'Moscow Patriarchate' is not on Ukraine's side and denies that Russia has waged war against Ukraine."

St Barbara’s Church community did not participate in this assembly. The day before, parishioners led by their rector, Protodeacon Serhiy Zuyev, recorded a video message affirming their faithfulness to the UOC.

"At our church, a general assembly of the Barbara parish was held, and a unanimous decision was made that we remain under the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and have no intention of joining the OCU or any other organization," stressed the rector.

The participants of the meeting in the club ignored the expressed will of the believers. After casting their votes, they went to the church, where members of the UOC community locked themselves inside and attempted to enter forcibly. Later, the parishioners opened the door at the insistence of the police. OCU activists entered the church, documented the property, and created a record of its transfer.

Furthermore, Dumenko's followers submitted documents to the Poltava Regional Military Administration for the re-registration of the parish.

The clergy of the OCU announced that they plan to conduct their first "worship service" at St. Barbara’s Church on August 27.

As reported, activists of the OCU in Cherkasy registered an alternative religious community in order to transfer the Church of St. Sophronius of Irkutsk under their jurisdiction.

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