Metropolitan Sergiy of Tulchyn expressed his support for the persecuted UOC community in the village of Novozhyvotov

Metropolitan Sergiy of Tulchyn and Bratslav made an archpastoral visit to the village of Novozhyvotiv in the Vinnytsia region to support the local community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). Despite the loss of their church and ongoing hardships, the faithful continue their liturgical life, gathering for communal prayer in a makeshift space.

According to the bishop’s Facebook page at , on July 26, 2026—the 8th week after Pentecost—Bishop Sergiy presided over the Divine Liturgy for the parishioners of the Holy Protection Parish. He was concelebrated by the church’s rector, Archpriest Peter Monastyrsky, and the clergy of the Orativ Deanery. During the service, fervent prayers were offered for the establishment of peace in Ukraine.

The situation in the village has remained tense since February 2025, when supporters of the OCU seized the local Holy Protection Church. Subsequently, the prayer house—which believers had set up after losing the main building—was destroyed, and the rector himself, Archpriest Petro Monastyrsky, was physically assaulted. Despite this persecution, the congregation has not ceased its liturgical activities and continues to gather for prayer at another specially prepared location.