Persecuted community in Dilove prays for reasoning Patriarch Bartholomew

Archimandrite Benedict (Khromy). Photo: a screenshot of the Youtube channel mospat.ru

Archimandrite Benedict (Khromy), who spiritually cares for the persecuted UOC community in the Transcarpathian village of Dilove, in a video message posted on the Youtube channel mospat.ru, appealed to all Orthodox Christians and said that he was praying for the reasoning of Patriarch Bartholomew and his like-minded associates.

“We pray for the lost, we also pray for Patriarch Bartholomew and his like-minded associates, so that the Lord will enlighten and soften their hearts,” said Archimandrite Benedict.

The archimandrite added that despite the fact that the supporters of the OCU took away the temple, the UOC community was saved, the believers continue to pray near the small chapel, people are forced to stand in the cold in the snow.

“Our body is cold, but our heart is hot, because the Lord is with us, veracity and truth. As it is said in the epistle of the Apostle Paul: "neither height, nor depth, nor any other creature can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:38, 39 – Ed.). In our case, neither frost nor snow, nor cold, nor wind can separate us from God's Love,” he noted.

We recall that in early February, OCU activists, with the assistance of the authorities, seized the church of the Holy Dormition community of the UOC in the village of Dilove. The re-registration of the UOC community in favour of a new church structure is being considered in court, but one of the court decisions, giving the OCU access to the temple, came into force.

As reported earlier, the UOC community in Dilove, expelled from its church, is praying in the open air.

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