Cherkasy mayor announces "transition" of UOC cathedral to OCU

Anatoliy Bondarenko. Photo: Cherkasy City Council

On September 22, the mayor of Cherkasy, Anatoliy Bondarenko, posted a photo of the St. Michael's Cathedral of the Cherkasy Eparchy of the UOC on his Instagram page, accompanied by a comment that clearly indicates his intention to "transfer" the church to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU).

"One phrase: it's about time. I believe that fallen heroes will be honored here with Ukrainian prayers, brought home on shields, and prayers will be said for those defending our homeland," reads his post.

In response to his post, followers asked: "So, when are we gathering?"

Bondarenko had hoped that St. Michael's Cathedral would "transition" to the OCU by August 24, but that did not happen. He mentioned this earlier during a city council session.

"I had hoped that on August 24, Ukraine's Independence Day, prayers in this cathedral would be held in Ukrainian. I believe this is a shortcoming on the part of the public, among others. Law enforcement agencies should also have their say on this matter," the official stated.

As reported by the UOJ, on June 11, thanks to an urgent statement from Metropolitan Theodosiy of Cherkasy and Kaniv, an unlawful gathering of a fake religious community at the UOC Cathedral was prevented.

Earlier, the mayor of Cherkasy urged residents not to attend UOC churches and stated that a community had approached him regarding the transition of the UOC cathedral.

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