Greek Catholics seized the Moscow Patriarchate Ukrainian Orthodox Church in western Ukraine

June 5, 2017 Ukraine

June 5, 2017 – Priests of the Greek Catholic Church on Sunday, the Feast of the Holy Trinity, seized old Annunciation Church in the town of Kolomyya, the Ivano-Frankovsk Region.

Militants of the nationalistic movement Chornaya Sotnya participated in the seizure. Its rector Archpriest Vasily Kobelsky told that Greek Catholics entered the church by deceit and celebrated a liturgy there.

“This day UGCC activists and priests organized a traditional march to the tomb of the Ukrainian archers located not far from our church. Security Service official came up to me and asked to let them in to the church as they wanted to pray there. But Greek Catholic priests, there were thirteen of them, went right to the altar and started celebrating the liturgy,” he said.

Greek Catholics had already made an attempt to capture this church in 2009 with the support of the city council.

Earlier, the Moscow Patriarchate criticized UGCC for their attacks and anti-Russian rhetoric, noting that the traditional Orthodox and Catholic believers should pay attention to this problem.

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