UOC hierarch comments on a fake about quarantine violation in Chernivtsi

The Holy Spirit Cathedral of Chernivtsi. Photo: gr-czernowitz.livejournal.com

There were a few people inside the Holy Spirit Church of Chernivtsi on Palm Sunday, and 10 police officers monitored the quarantine in the yard of the cathedral, Metropolitan Meletiy (Yegorenko) of Chernivtsi and Bukovina commented on the fake about the violation of quarantine requirements on the territory of the cathedral.

“The local edition ACC, which is biased and right-wing, wrote about the mass concentration of parishioners. They published several photographs from the right angle and wrote that it was quite crowded near the church in Chernivtsi, this news was echoed by all the media,” wrote the online outlet “Strana.UA".

According to the bishop, on Palm Sunday, approximately 200 people came to the cathedral. However, before the quarantine was declared, from 3,000 to 10,000 parishioners attended services at the Holy Spirit Cathedral.

“The area of the cathedral allows 200 people to keep a safe distance of 2 meters. There were only a few people inside the cathedral; no more than ten were allowed in. We did everything necessary to comply with all the recommendations for protection against the coronavirus: we gave out protective masks to those who did not have them, we had an antiseptic,” said Metropolitan Meletiy.

During the service, 10 policemen were on duty in the territory of the cathedral to ensure that quarantine requirements were met, he added. 

“Before the weekend, we received recommendations from the governor not to gather people in the cathedral in connection with the introduction of curfew, but everyone understands that these rules are advisory,” said the UOC hierarchy.

He said that he had conducted explanatory work with people and warned them of the danger of infection.

“The coronavirus will pass, and life will continue. It is enough to spit once somewhere in the public to be considered an uncivilized person. If I close the churches now, tomorrow my believers will tell me that I am a godless man. Therefore, I recommend people, I talk about the danger, but to tell them not to go to church is unacceptable and I will not do this,” Met. Meletiy emphasized.

He also said that the eparchy did receive any comments from the authorities on the violation of quarantine requirements.

Earlier, Metropolitan Nikodim (Gorenko) of Zhytomyr and Novograd-Volynsky spoke about the provocation in the Zhytomyr Cathedral on the feast of Annunciation.

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