Sretensky Church of UOC in Odesa suffers from Russian shelling

A damaged dome of the Sretensky Church in Odesa. Photo: a screenshot of the YouTube channel "Joyful Dyak"

On December 29, 2023, the Sretensky Church of the UOC suffered damage as a result of the Russian shelling of Odesa. A video of the destruction was posted on his YouTube channel by Archdeacon Andriy Palchuk of the Odesa Eparchy.

Windows were shattered, and the church dome was pierced by shrapnel. The rector-chaplain Archpriest Ilya Manita, who was seriously wounded on the front line while delivering aid to the Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers in the summer, returned to his church on crutches.

"Near him a cluster bomb exploded, shattering the bone. Now his temple is broken," said Fr Andriy.

He added he did not quite understand the motives of the Russian leadership, which positions the people of Russia and Ukraine as one nation. "Do they think by doing this, they will win the favour of Odesa residents or other citizens of Ukraine? I don't understand this logic," said the cleric of the Odessa Eparchy.

As earlier reported, St. Catherine’s Cathedral of the UOC again suffered from shelling in Kherson.

 

Read also

DESS: The number of communities joining OCU in 2024 is half of last year’s

Over a year, 232 communities of the UOC changed their jurisdiction.

Scale of internal damage to UOC cathedral in Zaporizhzhia shown online

The video allows viewers to assess the damage endured by the main Orthodox church of the UOC in Zaporizhzhia.

Ex-MP UOC protodeacon Novinsky declared suspicion of high treason

The former MP is accused of "ensuring that a significant part of Ukrainian society, who are believers of the UOC, remain under the direct influence of the leader of the ROC".

St Andrew’s icon survives under the rubble of UOC cathedral in Zaporizhzhia

The icon was painted by nuns of the St Nicholas Monastery in Patras (Greece) and consecrated on the relics of St Andrew the Apostle.

RF missile strike destroys St Andrew's Cathedral of UOC in Zaporizhzhia

The fragments damaged the roof of the building, dome, ceilings, cut windows and disfigured classrooms.

Media shows conditions in which persecuted communities of Volyn have to pray

After their churches were seized, UOC faithful are compelled to pray in poorly equipped facilities.