On February 21, 2022, an informal meeting of the Spiritual Council of Christian Churches of the Zaporozhye region was held in Zaporozhye, during which the newly appointed head of the Zaporozhye military hospital, Viktor Pisanko, actually forbade the priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to help his patients. In this regard, Metropolitan Luka of Zaporozhye and Melitopol appealed to representatives of state authorities, the Information and Education Department of the UOC reports.

Metropolitan Luka said that according to the information of the cleric of the Zaporozhye diocese, who was present at this meeting, the new head, turning to the members of the Council, asked for spiritual and material assistance to the hospital.

“Also, he suggested that all denominations visit the hospital patients in turn, but only except for the priests of the UOC!” Vladyka noted.

Recall that in 2014, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry proclaimed the repair of a military hospital in Zaporizhzhia a church-wide project. In the relevant work, the forces and means of not only Zaporozhye, but also Mukachevo, Volyn, Kiev and other dioceses were involved.