Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich): in two years, the number of parishes of the UOC has increased by 484

During the two years of primacy of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine the number of UOC parishes has increased by 484. This was said by the Chancellor of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary at a press briefing on the occasion of the second anniversary of the enthronement of the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, reports a UOJ correspondent. 

"In two years since the enthronement of Metropolitan Onuphry the number of our parishes has increased by 484. Metropolitan Onuphry has made 43 pastoral visits to dioceses, consecrated 23 new churches in different parts of our country, canonized 13 new saints," said Archbishop Anthony. 

Metropolitan Anthony noted that the events of the last two years have been a very difficult test for the Ukrainians and the Church. "It was in 2014 that a revolution happened, followed by a political and economic crisis and armed conflict in the east of Ukraine. And the main appeal of Metropolitan Onuphry was a call for prayer. Our Church, in the words of Metropolitan Onuphry, does not divide the Ukrainians into “insiders” and “outsiders”, the right and the wrong. We are all citizens of a unified Ukraine, we are all different, but we are all children of God," said the Chancellor of the UOC. 

Earlier, the Ministry of Culture denied the Ukrainian Orthodox Church the right to hold services in the Little (Warm) Sophia, on the grounds that, according to the Ministry of Culture officials, the UOC-KP is the largest religious community in Ukraine.

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