UOC community of Ugrinov supported by bishop of Polish Orthodox Church

On July 24, 2017, the Holy Cross Exaltation Community of the UOC of the village of Ugrinov in the Volyn region hosted high church guests: Met. Nathanael, the ruling bishop of the local diocese, and a representative of the Polish Orthodox Church Archbishop Georgy of Wroclaw and Szczecin visited the Orthodox parish known all over Ukraine.

The bishops served a moleben in the prayer house, where the UOC community deprived of its church gathers, and addressed the congregation with words of support.

"Our Church in Poland fully supports your struggle for your rights, for the Faith of Christ," Archbishop George addressed the Ugrin community. "We follow the news, we know everything that's going on here, and we pray for you, that the Lord will ease your trials."

According to Bishop George, in Catholic Poland, Orthodox Christians are in the minority. However, this is already a very large community, and although not all Ukrainians living in Poland are active believers, the need to strengthen the Orthodox parishes remains vital. In particular, representatives of the Ukrainian clergy are going to come to the Polish Orthodox priests in the near future to assist in providing pastoral care for the faithful.

All that the UOC community in the village of Ugrinov is going through is not only a severe spiritual trial, but also the strengthening of local Orthodox believers in their faith. The infringements and persecutions have always accompanied Christians, and as the Church of Christ rose from the catacombs, so a handful of Christians will survive all the privations and be glorified, having strengthened the Church in Ukraine.

For his part, Bishop Nathaniel of Volyn and Lutsk, turning to the community, promised that despite the results of litigation with the villagers who moved away from the Church, the believers of the UOC in Ugrinov will not be left without a priest and a place for worship services.