Heronymivka community, whose temple is a raid target, remains loyal to UOC

The temple of Heronymivka village. Photo: Cherkasy Diocese

On February 25, in Heronymivka, Cherkasy Oblast, a meeting of the members of the UOC community was held, during which parishioners, along with the church rector, Archpriest Anatoliy Holoha, unanimously reaffirmed their loyalty to the UOC under the leadership of its Primate, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry, as reported by the Cherkasy Eparchy.

Members of the UOC community were compelled to document their expression of will, as attempts are currently being made to transfer the Holy Dormition Church of Heronymivka to the jurisdiction of the OCU through a new raiding scheme.

The rector wrote an appeal to the Cherkasy Regional State Administration, in which he reported that an initiative group of individuals unrelated to the religious community is inciting villagers to forcibly seize the church.

"For this purpose, slander against the religious community is being spread, calls for physical violence and reprisals against parishioners are voiced, a plan for seizing the premises of the church and holding an illegal meeting of the territorial community of the village under the guise of a religious community meeting is being drawn up," the eparchy's website reported.

As reported by the UOJ, the Cherkasy Convent of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, which radicals seized for the OCU, now stands empty.

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