Kiev, January 6, 2016
On January 5, 2016, unidentified people set the Church of St. Petro Mohyla of the Second Shevchenko Deanery of Kiev on fire, reports the information department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC MP). Thanks to the immediate response from residents of neighboring apartment houses the fire was put out before the arrival of a fire brigade.
According to the church rector, Archpriest John (Ioann) Tronko, at about 2 AM the culprits set fire to the north wall of the church sanctuary from outside using incendiaries. As a result of the arson the church façade was damaged, but the fire did not spread inside the temple.
“The church was set on fire in a place that would not be noticed until later,” the priest noted. –Only by the mercy of God the blaze did not spread further in the church, because the people called the fire service in time.” According to the firefighters, the fire had been extinguished before their arrival by the local residents who did not remain indifferent to the incident.
Construction of this church was begun on September 12, 2007. In June 2008 His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All the Ukraine (Sabodan; 1935-2014) consecrated it in honor of the Holy Hierarch Petro Mohyla (Peter Mogila) and the “Softener of Evil Hearts” Icon of the Mother of God.
Last year culprits three times set fire to the Church of “the Joy of All Who Sorrow” Icon of the Mother of God, situated in Babi Yar (“Old Lady’s Ravine”) on the outskirts of Kiev in the same deanery.
