Belyaevsky, Odessa Province, Ukraine, December 31, 2024
Fr. Evgeny, Matushka Anna, and their first daughter. Photo: Facebook A priest of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church who was forcibly drafted a week and a half ago has been released.
On December 21, on his way home from visiting his wife in the hospital where she had just given birth to their second child, Fr. Evgeny Rozhdestvensky was taken from a mobile checkpoint to the local military recruitment center. Despite failing the medical examination, he was sent on for military training.
Six days later, his relative Archpriest Nikolai Karpenko reported that Fr. Evgeny had been released.
“This morning, the lawyer was able to get Fr. Evgeny from the military recruitment office. Perhaps your prayers contributed to certain amendments in legislation, as now clergy have exemption from conscription, and this also influenced the circumstances,” Fr. Nikolay wrote.
He expressed gratitude to all who have supported and prayed for Fr. Evgeny and his family, as well as to the legal department of the Odessa Diocese and the lawyer who fought for the priest’s release.
“May the Lord reward you for your prayers and care, granting you peace, prosperity, and blessing in all your endeavors,” Fr. Nikolai concludes.
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