Raiders preparing to transfer Sretensky parish of UOC to OCU in Cherkasy

Archpriest Eugene Burkatsky, vicar of the Sretensky episcopal metochion of the UOC in Cherkasy. Photo: a screenshot of the YouTube channel "Cherkaskyi Blagovisnik".

On June 29, 2023, Cherkasy supporters of the OCU plan to hold a meeting of the townspeople in order to transfer the Sretensky episcopal metochion of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to their organization, said the vicar of the metochion, Archpriest Eugene Burkatsky, in a video message that was made public by the press service of the Cherkasy Eparchy of the UOC.

Archpriest Eugene said that he has received numerous telephone calls and messages from parishioners working in public institutions that they are forced to bring their passports to Khimikov Park to vote for changing the jurisdiction of the community under the threat of dismissal. Even representatives of other Christian denominations are being called to vote.

The priest showed an advertisement published in the Cherkasy Region newspaper in which the OCU supporters' event is described as "a parish meeting of the religious community of the Sretensky parish of the UOC".

"Our religious community has not planned and does not plan any transition," the vicar stressed. “Everything that our opponents are trying to do today in relation to the Sretensky Church does not correspond to reality.

The press service of the eparchy published a fragment of the video of the parish meeting of the Sretensky community, at which the parishioners voted unanimously to remain in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

As reported, the Cherkasy City Council has prepared a draft decision on the seizure of land plots from UOC communities "on grounds of public necessity".

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