Chernivtsi ‘European Solidarity’ announces exit from ‘Moscow Patriarchate’

Members of Poroshenko’s party announced that they had been parishioners of the ‘ROC’ until recently. Photo: Facebook page of ‘European Solidarity’

Members of Poroshenko’s ‘European Solidarity’ party in Chernivtsi announced their departure from two religious communities of the ‘Moscow Patriarchate Church’ and stated that they are no longer parishioners. This was reported in a post on the official Facebook page of European Solidarity – Chernivtsi.

“Today, the religious communities of the two largest churches in Chernivtsi voted to join the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. These are the Holy Spirit Cathedral and St. Nicholas Church. Our European Solidarity team also participated in the voting and the joint prayer service,” the statement said.

When asked in the comments if any ‘European Solidarity’ members attend these Chernivtsi churches every Sunday, the head of the party’s secretariat, Vitalii Yaremchuk, referred to the UOC as the ‘Moscow Church’ and indicated that they do not attend.

The European Solidarity page also published a congratulatory message from Petro Poroshenko, in which he stated that “until now, Bukovyna was a stronghold of the ROC,” and that “the transition of the cathedral itself indicates an important shift in the consciousness of Orthodox Ukrainians.” Poroshenko did not clarify whether he himself had left the ‘ROC,’ following the example of his Chernivtsi party colleagues.

Previously, the UOJ reported that signatures for the ‘transfer’ of churches to the OCU in Chernivtsi were collected deceitfully.

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