Community in Odesa region changes parish due to priest's refusal to pray for Ukraine

The religious community of the village of Myrony, Podil district, Odesa region, has decided to move from the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

This was reported by the press service of the Odesa Diocese of the OCU.

According to the press service, during the meeting, the community expressed its indignation at the priest of the Moscow Patriarchate, who refused to pray for the victory of Ukraine, the Ukrainian army, and to commemorate the fallen soldiers of Ukraine in funeral prayers, and also categorically refused to volunteer to help the front. In addition, this clergyman refused to answer requests from the laity to pray in Ukrainian. Therefore, the decision to change the jurisdictional affiliation was made unanimously.

Since the previous rector refused to accept the decision of the community, Archbishop Athanasius, the head of the Odesa diocese of the OCU, appointed Archpriest Mykola Levents to act as rector and chaplain.

"The secretary of the Odesa Eparchy, Archpriest Theodore Orobets, was invited to the meeting of the community meeting. Also, the meeting elected new governing bodies of the community and adopted a new version of the Statute," the diocese reported.

According to the interactive map Opendatabot, which shows the location of religious institutions and their affiliation according to state registers, there are 416 churches in the Odesa region associated with the Moscow Patriarchate. Most religious institutions are concentrated in Odesa.

In September, the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal denied the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)'s request for interim measures in the case of the termination of the church's activities in Ukraine.

On August 24, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law banning the activities of religious organizations associated with Russia in Ukraine. On August 20, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the corresponding law. The day before, the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (AUCCRO) supported the parliamentary initiative to ban the activities of religious organizations affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church.

Кирило Бойко