Mirnoye village, December 8, 2014
The St. Nicholas Church has been robbed in Mirnoye village of the Kostopil district of the Rivne region, reports Interfax-Religion with the reference to press service of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.
The incident occurred on the night of December 6/7. The donations that the parishioners were collecting for the church reconstruction have been stolen. The church was desecrated.
“Do not do harm to churches of Polesye, they are very poor, and most of them have already been robbed for the second time. You do not snatch a large sum there but you do desecrate them and cause sorrow to people’s hearts,” said the diocesan hierarch, Metropolitan Anatoly of Sarny and Polesye, addressing himself to the criminals.