A church built by persecuted UOC community burned down in Volyn
Burnt church in Stari Koshary. Photo: Volodymyr-Volyn Eparchy
The Volodymyr-Volyn Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) reported that a newly constructed church in the village of Stari Koshary in the Kovel district was set on fire. The incident occurred on the morning of September 26. The church, which is being built in honor of the Protection of the Holy Theotokos, belongs to the UOC religious community.
It is reported that this church is being constructed to replace the previous one, dedicated to the Apostle John the Theologian, which was taken over by supporters of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) in 2019 on Holy Wednesday. The arson was reported by the community’s priest, Archpriest Andriy Khomych.
According to him, the suspect in the arson had been threatening the priest and members of the UOC community for a long time. The community had previously reported these threats to the police and provided appropriate testimonies.
As reported by the Union of Orthodox Journalists (UOJ), on September 4, 2024, a church dedicated to the Protection of the Holy Theotokos burned down in the village of Zeremlia in the Baranivka district of the Zhytomyr region. The cause of the fire was arson.
Read also
UOC Kryvyi Rih Eparchy marks 30th anniversary
Metropolitan Yefrem led the anniversary Divine Liturgy in Kryvyi Rih.
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.