UOC rector tells about property of the temple transferred to OCU
After the seizure, the religious community of the Holy Protection Church prays in the facility repurposed for a church.
The rector of the Holy Protection Church of the UOC, Volodymyr Stepanishyn, revealed that after the transfer of the church to the OCU, it stands empty, while the religious community prays in repurposed premises. His statement was published by the Khmelnytskyi Eparchy.
Archpriest Volodymyr explained that when he became the rector in 2012, the church was in a deplorable state. Windows, doors needed replacement, and parishioners collected funds for repairs. During this time, the community acquired church utensils and literature – everything to ensure that divine services were held in the Holy Protection Church.
When representatives of the local administration and law enforcement officers burst into the church on the morning of May 15, the community had to comply with the decision of the Yarmolynetsky court: to take away all the property and leave the church. Therefore, it now stands empty.
"At the moment, we pray in an adapted premises, conduct divine services. Religious life continues, please pray for us!" pleaded the UOC priest.
Recall that after the district administration and police arrived at the Holy Protection Church, Ukrainian media spread information that all the property had disappeared from the church, and that the rector of the church was responsible for this.
