Bishops of UOC take part in a festive divine service in Belarus

May 22, 2021, with the blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine, Archbishop Alexei of Voznesensk and Pervomaisk, vicars of the Kyiv Metropolis, Bishops Victor of Baryshivka and Dionysy of Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky, took part in the festive Divine Liturgy on the occasion of the patronal feast day of St. Nicholas in Privolny town of the Minsk region of the Republic of Belarus, the Information and Educational Department of the UOC reports.

The service was officiated by Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl’, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, who was also concelebrated by the bishops of the Belarusian Orthodox Church Anthony of Slutsk and Soligorsk and Porfiry of Lida and Smorgon, Archpriest Viktor Ivashchuk, secretary of the Kyiv diocese in Kyiv, Anatoliy Ivashchuk, rector of the temple, and the clergy of the Kyiv and Minsk dioceses.

At the end of the service, Bishop Victor of Baryshevka in his speech extended warm congratulations from the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl’ and presented the holy panagia on behalf of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine. In response, Metropolitan Veniamin conveyed to His Beatitude mutual congratulations and words of fraternal support.

Also, Bishop Victor presented the St. Demetrius Order of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to the rector of the church, Archpriest Anatoly Ivashchuk, on the occasion of his 45th birthday.

Earlier, the delegation of the UOC, headed by Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich), congratulated the Primate of the Serbian Church on the election of the Serbian Primate to the First-Hierarch Throne of Serbia.