The priest of Ternopil diocese, who'd been in schism, brought repentance
Archpriest Fedir Martyniuk, who’d joined the schism, repented and returned to the bosom of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Cleric of the Ternopil diocese, Archpriest Fedir Martyniuk, who backslid into schism in May 2022, repented and, with the blessing of Metropolitan Serhiy of Ternopil and Kremenets, returned to the fold of the UOC. Human rights activist Victoria Kokhanovskaya reports this on her Facebook page.
After Father Fedir moved to the OCU, the parishioners of the UOC in the village of Dzvyniacha were left without their church. Then the believers equipped a room for worship, for which they purchased one of the outbuildings in the village.
Despite the fact that Archpriest Fedir repented and returned to the UOC, the temple remained with Dumenko's supporters – it is not that easy to return it.
On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, Metropolitan Serhiy of Ternopil and Kremenets consecrated the throne in the building, which was repurposed for worship by the believers of the UOC of the village of Dzvyniacha. Vladyka was concelebrated by the repentant Archpriest Fedir Martyniuk, newly appointed rector of the community, and the clergy of the diocese.
“God grant that the temple you have built becomes a place of the inexhaustible grace of God. And for this, each of us must bear their own cross, and so that the Lord helps us to carry it and enter blessed eternity,” said Bishop Serhiy before the start of the liturgy.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that the patronal feast of the temple was celebrated in Kopytkiv, which the parishioners of the UOC had built to replace the one seized by OCU supporters.