Cleric of Cyprus Church visits OCU-affected parishes of Volyn Eparchy
The priest of the Cyprus Orthodox Church, Archimandrite Nektarios (Bakopoulos), paid a visit to Volyn Eparchy to meet with parishes, affected by the OCU raiding.
On June 7, 2019, Archimandrite Nectarios, secretary of the Tamassos Diocese of the Cyprus Orthodox Church, expressed support for the believers of the Volyn Eparchy of the UOC, who were victimized by the use of force from OCU supporters. This is reported by the website of the Volyn Eparchy.
The Archimandrite, who had arrived at the eparchy, accompanied by the Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the UOC, Archpriest Nikolai Danilevich, assured the believers that world Orthodoxy is looking for ways to resolve the church crisis which Ukraine is being faced up with.
The visit of the representative of the Cyprus Orthodox Church to the Volyn Eparchy began with a meeting with the ruling bishop, Bishop Nathanael of Volyn and Lutsk.
The head of the Volyn eparchy told Father Nectarios about those religious communities that are forced to pray not in their churches, but in temporarily adapted premises.
In turn, Father Nectarios expressed prayer support to the bishop, wishing God’s help in overcoming ordeals.
Throughout the day, the guests visited Orthodox believers and priests in the villages of Bronitsa, Nuyno and Rakov Les of Kamen-Kashirsky district. In temporary home churches, which the believers who had been wronged by the church raiding of the OCU, arranged for their divine services, the Archimandrite, together with the clergy of the Volyn eparchy, performed prayers for peace in Ukraine and for the unity of world Orthodoxy.
“You are in the true, authentic and canonical Church, therefore, you should not be afraid of anything,” said Archimandrite Nektarios to the faithful children of the Volyn eparchy, who were persecuted but did not betray Christ.
The priest of the Cyprus Orthodox Church recalled that the Church of Cyprus was one of the first to express its full support to the UOC, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine.
“That’s why I’m here, among you,” said the priest. “In order to look at the situation in Ukraine not through the Internet, but to have personal experience, personal impressions about this situation that has developed, and to convey this experience to the Christians of Cyprus. So that they know firsthand what exactly is happening in Ukraine.”
Communicating with people, Archimandrite assured them that sooner or later they will be able to return to their temples.
“I understand your pain, your grief, but the Lord sees everything. Be sure that this issue will be resolved. The time will come when you will perform the liturgy in your temple again. Injustice will not win ...” said the priest of the Cyprus Church.
At the end of the day, Archimandrite Nectarios, together with the clergymen of the Volyn eparchy, visited the Sretensky Mikhnovka nunnery, where the priests talked with the sisters and worshiped the shrines, once again praying for the unity of world Orthodoxy.
As the UOJ reported, earlier Archimandrite Nectarios visited 8 parishes of the UOC in the Rovno Eparchy, which were affected by the illegal actions of the OCU supporters.
