On September 14, 2021, in the village of Rakov Les Kamen-Kashirsky district of the Volyn region, a new church of the UOC community was consecrated, built to replace the captured OCU in the winter of 2019. For the festive service, in addition to the episcopate and clergy of the UOC, the cleric of the Cypriot Orthodox Church, Archimandrite Nektarios (Bakopoulos), who two years earlier visited the communities of Volyn affected by the raiders, arrived here, the UOJ writes.

The video of the address of the Cypriot priest to the believers in the village of Rakov Les was published on the Deacon’s Diary Youtube channel.

Together with Archimandrite Nektariy, on this important day for the Orthodox community, the parish was visited by Archbishop Nathanael (Krikota), head of the Volyn diocese of the UOC, bishop Athanasius (German), vicar of the Volyn diocese, Archpriest Nikolay Danilevich, deputy of the Department for External Church Relations of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, who translated the words to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. support and congratulations from the Cypriot guest.

“Exactly two years ago, I came to your village to see you, to feel your pain when the church was taken away from you. You have not had the opportunity to live a full liturgical life. Today I am with you here, I came from Cyprus to share the joy of creating this beautiful temple.

I see how you restored your liturgical life in the temple of the saints Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia. The materialization of these virtues took place today. We see the result of faith, hope, love. Accordingly, in the future you will be here to live the mystical life of the sacraments of the Church, that which unites us with each other and with God and leads us into eternity. Christ is with us, may he support you in your Christian path and may he always give your life joy and peace, ”Archimandrite Nektarios wished those present.

Also, a Cypriot cleric brought the community as a gift an icon of St. Demetrian, who in ancient times headed the Tamasos diocese, where the archimandrite serves now, and a set for the Holy Eucharist.

Archbishop Nathanael sincerely thanked the Cypriot priest for his congratulations and gifts.

“It was especially in our hearts that Father Nektarios came from distant Cyprus to share our joy with us,” the UOC hierarch noted.

Archimandrite Nektariy (Bakopoulos) visited the communities of the region of Western Ukraine affected by the raiding of the OCU in June 2019.