In Lviv region supporters of the UGCC attempted to seize a church from another UGCC group

In the village of Prylbychi, Lviv region, there was a conflict between two UGCC communities. Representatives of one of them, associated with the «excommunicated movement», attempted a forceful seizure of the local church.

According to ZAXID.NET, the incident took place on November 17, 2025. A group of parishioners, who are followers of excommunicated UGCC cleric Vasyl Kovpak, attempted to enter the offices of the temple by breaking the locks. This movement belongs to traditionalists and is not recognized by the official Catholic Church.

The actions of Kovpak’s followers provoked an immediate reaction from another UGCC community that uses the temple. According to the rector of the temple, Andriy Stadnitsky, this is not the first attempt to seize the temple. He emphasized that the temple legally belongs to the UGCC and accused the opponents of using «sectarian methods» to gain control over the shrine.

Local residents note that the confrontation between the two Greek Catholic groups in Prylbychy has been going on for many years. Both communities hold worship events at the shrine alternately, but disputes regularly arise between them, accompanied by mutual accusations of provocation and pressure.

The police officers who arrived on the scene ensured the protection of public order. According to their information, information about the incident was officially registered and entered into a unified register of appeals.

We will remind, earlier the head of the UGCC Sviatoslav Shevchuk shared his vision of the development of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic union. Shevchuk claims that the UGCC, although it is in communion with the Vatican, does not belong to the «Western Patriarchate». He believes that the UGCC should become the foundation for a «united Kiev church,» so the Uniates cannot give up the idea of gaining the status of a «patriarchate» in order to equalize their rights with other local churches.