OCU and authorities seize UOC church in Cherkasy, parishioners denied entry

OCU cleric Zassansky breaks the doors of St. Andrew Church in Cherkasy. Photo: UOJ

On May 6, 2025, a forceful transfer of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s St. Andrew Church in Cherkasy to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) took place. Clergy loyal to Epifaniy Dumenko, together with representatives of the local authorities, began inventorying the property of the UOC’s St. Andrew Parish. Police officers blocked the church gates, preventing members of the parish from entering.

Although St. Andrew Church is legally owned by the Cherkasy Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the authorities fraudulently attached it to a fictitious, non-existent OCU “community” and, through deceptive legal maneuvers, transferred the church to the structure led by Dumenko.

Mayor Anatoliy Bondarenko arrived at the church and told the parishioners and clergy that their goal was to “create footage for Russian television channels.” The secretary of the Cherkasy City Council informed the faithful that the church would now belong to the “Ukrainian Patriarchate.”

Those parishioners who had come at the call of Metropolitan Theodosiy to defend their sanctity were not allowed inside by the police. Forced to remain outside, they stood in prayer on the street.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Metropolitan Theodosiy had called on the faithful to come and defend St. Andrew Church.

Read also