Secretary of Rivne Eparchy: All UOC communities in Rivne region preserved
The secretary of the Rivne Eparchy of the UOC, Archpriest Viktor Zemlianyi. Photo: Fr. Viktor's Facebook page
The UOC eparchies in the Rivne region (Rivne and Sarny eparchies) have preserved the communities of all the temples seized by OCU supporters, and these communities have premises for divine services, said the secretary of the Rivne Eparchy of the UOC, Archpriest Viktor Zemlianyi, in an interview with the YouTube channel "Tetiana Tsaruk. In Search of Truth".
"Almost all the priests are in place,” noted Fr. Victor. “Somewhere for health reasons or because of a change of residence, rectors were changed, but all communities are active. This is a victory. Even there are churches taken away that we have returned. They are few – you can count them on the fingers of one hand - but this is the fact."
According to the priest, the raiders managed to seize relatively few churches in the Rivne region.
"Many churches, which according to documents were taken away, actually have been kept," added the eparchy’s secretary.
He expressed his belief that all the shrines taken away from the UOC would be returned.
"There will not be such a temple that would not return to the UOC. Whether it will be with us, whether we will see it with our own eyes, but we stand for it. Our Orthodox descendants will see it. It is impossible to defeat the Church," Father Viktor stressed.
Read also
Ostapenko: Everyone in UCCRO feels fine except the “FSB UOC”
The director of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve called the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches “a wonderful organization.”
Khmelnytskyi Eparchy donates funds for treatment of 12-year-old girl
UOC believers raised UAH 20,000 for Anastasiia Mamchur as part of an eparchial charity campaign.
Shevchuk: We had to convince world UOC ban does not violate religious freedom
The UGCC head claims that by banning the UOC, the state is not violating religious freedom but merely protecting the Church’s faithful from Moscow propaganda.
Lavra reserve head estimates damage to Dormition Cathedral at €15 million
Maksym Ostapenko said restoring the Dormition Cathedral would take at least a couple of years and require major funding.
DESS official says state should not govern the Church
A DESS official called for cooperation between the state and the Church for the benefit of citizens.
Poltava court upholds mobilization of Protestant pastor
A court in the Poltava region ruled that a prior criminal conviction and religious beliefs do not exempt a person from military service.