In Mnyshyn, UOC Faithful Consecrate New Church to Replace One Seized in 2019

On July 28, 2025, the feast day of Saint Vladimir the Equal-to-the-Apostles, a newly built church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was consecrated in the village of Mnyshyn, Rivne region. The new church is the result of six years of labor by the local Orthodox community, which lost its original church in 2019 due to a forced transfer to the OCU. The consecration of the Church of Saint Vladimir was led by Archbishop Pimen of Rivne and Ostroh, according to the press service of the Rivne Diocese of the UOC.

Thanks to the efforts of the parish rector, Archpriest Volodymyr Furmanchuk, as well as the support of parishioners, benefactors, and all those who joined the cause, the community succeeded in building a new church. Special gratitude was extended to benefactor Andriy Vasylovych Biba for his ongoing support.

Following the consecration of the altar, Archbishop Pimen celebrated the first Divine Liturgy in the new church. He was joined by diocesan clergy, including Archpriest Viktor Zemlyanyi, secretary of the Rivne Diocese, and Archpriest Mykhailo Petrov, dean of the Hoshcha district. Prayers were offered during the service for peace in Ukraine, for the soldiers defending the country, and for the repose of the fallen.

In his post-Liturgy address, the Archbishop thanked the faithful for their loyalty to the Church in times of trial and for their steadfastness in defending their sacred space. The celebration concluded with a cross procession around the newly built church.

It was also reported earlier that the law firm Amsterdam & Partners, representing the Ukrainian Orthodox Church at the international level, sent official letters to leading Western leaders expressing deep concern over the repressive actions of the Ukrainian authorities against His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy.