Forcible seizure of the Alexander Nevsky church in Odessa: parishioners and diocesan secretary injured

Parishioners and clergy of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) were injured during a forcible seizure of the Alexander Nevsky church in Odessa by supporters of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU).

This was reported by the local UOC diocese.

The seizure took place on the eve of the announcement’s publication. According to UOC Odessa Diocese spokesman Deacon Andriy Palchuk, the secretary of the Odessa diocese was beaten during the incident.

“During the events around the church, clergy and parishioners who tried to defend their shrine were injured,” the diocese’s Telegram channel stated.

It was also emphasized that the community had not made any decision to change its canonical affiliation or transfer to the jurisdiction of the OCU.

According to the diocese, Ukrainian authorities in recent years have pursued a course of pushing out the UOC, including by encouraging the transfer of its religious communities to the jurisdiction of the OCU, which was created in 2018 from two schismatic religious structures. Local authorities are stripping the UOC of its land lease rights for church properties, while OCU supporters, with their encouragement, are forcibly seizing churches of the canonical church and attacking priests. Law enforcement agencies are bringing charges of treason and other crimes against UOC clergy, and sanctions are also being imposed against them.