On December 18, 2023, in the village of Kordelivka of the Kalynivka community of the Khmilnyk district, an attempt was made to set fire to the local church in honor of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica. The burnt walls and a bottle with the remains of a combustible mixture were found by parishioners who came to do work in the church yard in the afternoon.
The arson must have taken place at night, and only rain prevented the fire from spreading to the entire building. Representatives of the religious community immediately appealed to the police to investigate the fact of intentional damage to property. The investigation is ongoing, and the faithful, led by the church's Rector, Priest Yuriy Voloshchuk, hope that the perpetrators will be found and punished.
There is talk in the village that the arson attempt is revenge against the religious community, which left the moscow patriarchate a year ago and joined the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. We hope the investigation will establish whether this is true or not. But regardless of the motives of the crime, its perpetrators will certainly be punished by God for the desecration of the shrine that was committed before the great holiday of the Nativity of Christ.
Press service of the Diocese of Vinnytsia and Bar of the UOC (OCU)
