Major shrines in Chernivtsi re-registered under citizen Bodoriak's name

The major churches of Chernivtsi were re-registered under Yaroslav Bodoriak. Photo: Molodyi Bukovynets

On February 26, 2025, three major Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) churches in Chernivtsi – the Holy Spirit Cathedral, St. Nicholas Cathedral, and the Saints Peter and Paul Church – were re-registered under a new owner, according to the Orthobuk – Orthodox Community of the UOC Telegram channel.

"Today, at 15:10, the three greatest Orthodox shrines of Bukovyna were re-registered under the name of Yaroslav Ivanovych Bodoriak, a resident of the Ivano-Frankivsk region. Unknown individuals made changes to the Unified State Register and appointed Bodoriak as the new owner and new head of St. Nicholas Church of the UOC, the Holy Spirit Cathedral of the UOC, and the Saints Peter and Paul Church of the UOC," the channel’s authors reported. They also called on anyone familiar with Bodoriak’s identity or aware of where this illegal re-registration took place to share information via the feedback chat.

According to YouControl data, as of February 26, the new owner of these churches is listed as "Legal Entity RO 'Religious Community Parish of the Cathedral Church in Honor of the Descent of the Holy Spirit of the Chernivtsi-Bukovyna Diocese of the UOC (OCU).'"

It is claimed that this organization was allegedly registered on November 20, 1991. However, it is known that the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) was only established in December 2018.

Background:

On February 16, 2025, an assembly of unknown individuals carrying flags took place outside the fence of the Holy Spirit Cathedral of the UOC. Amid chants of "Death to the enemies," they voted – without any legal grounds – for the transition of the city's three major churches to the OCU. Some of these individuals were recognized by cathedral parishioners as members of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) and OCU communities.

At the same time, inside the cathedral, the UOC religious community held its own vote and reaffirmed its loyalty to their Church. Similar votes later took place in other UOC churches in Chernivtsi.

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