A new UOC church consecrated in Rivne region after the loss of the previous one

On June 9, 2025, on the day of the Holy Spirit, the consecration of a newly built church in honor of the Holy Trinity took place in the village of Horbakiv, Rivne region. It is known that in May 2019, supporters of the OCU seized the Holy Trinity Church in Horbakiv, changed the locks, and deprived the UOC community of access to the temple. Despite this, the religious community made efforts to build a new church. This was reported on the website of the Rivne Diocese of the UOC.

The service and the rite of great consecration were led by Archbishop Pimen of Rivne and Ostroh. He was accompanied by the dean of the Hoshcha district and rector of the church, Archpriest Mykhailo Petrov, the secretary of the Rivne Diocese, Archpriest Viktor Zemliany, and clergy who arrived for the celebration. Local residents and believers from nearby villages took part in the service.

After the reading of the Gospel, Archbishop Pimen addressed the congregation, noting that the new church was a response to the trials endured by the Orthodox community. “This church is the answer of your faith. You did not become bitter, you did not lose hope, but built a new church. When they take away a holy place, they try to take away the heart. But the true heart belongs to Christ, and it cannot be taken away,” the Archbishop emphasized.

Earlier, it was also reported that in the Lutsk City Council, accusations were again made against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church due to the construction of a new church on Yaremchuk Nazariy Street. Representative of the civic movement “SVIDOMI” Mykhailo Nakho called on the head of the city council, Ihor Polishchuk, to respond to what he called “illegal construction,” and even threatened legal action.