UOC priest: COVID-19 provokes increase in number of parishioners in Crimea

Priest Valentin Melnik. Photo: zhenmirkerch.church.ua

Over the past year and a half, the number of parishioners in the temples of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the Crimea has noticeably increased, the rector of the Kerch Church of the Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women of the Feodosia Eparchy of the UOC, Priest Valentin Melnyk, told news.allcrimea.net.

He believes that this is due to the coronavirus pandemic, when the number of sick people who need support during the trial has increased, and the Church for them is a kind of "spiritual clinic". “Recently there have been more parishioners. Also, there are significantly more of those who want to be baptized. They even come from other regions,” Father Valentin said.

At the same time, the priest noted that fewer people began to attend church holidays due to quarantine restrictions.

As reported, a new UOC church was laid in Sevastopol in the village of Lyubimovka.

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