In Dobroslav, authorities warn priests over their refusal to join OCU

Clerics of the St. Barbara's Church of the UOC. Photo: Intent

In Dobroslav, Odesa region, local authorities, together with representatives of the OCU, summoned UOC priests for a discussion, as reported by Intent.

During the meeting, the priests were persuaded to join the OCU while the Verkhovna Rada had not yet passed a law effectively banning the UOC, but the clerics of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church refused to do so.

The head of the village council, Liudmyla Prokopechko, urged the priests not to resist but to assist those who want to create a united church.

A representative of the OCU from the Odesa diocese, Theodor Orobets, promised to come to Dobroslav next time and invited UOC priests to participate in a meeting to transfer the community from the UOC to the OCU.

"If UOC priests continue to resist the creation of a united Orthodox Church of Ukraine, then it will have to be done through the community, but without the participation of the priests," he emphasized.

As a result, the village council appealed to the community of St. Barbara's Church to make their choice.

"The right and logical choice is to join the United Local Church – the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The Local Orthodox Church of Ukraine is open to unity with all Orthodox Christian believers," the local authorities said in their statement.

As reported previously, the UOC community in Oleksandrivka, Odesa region, which had been deprived of their temple, began to pray in a private house.

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