St. Andrew's Church in Cherkasy, seized from UOC, closed
Police guard the St. Andrew's Church of the UOC, closed by authorities. Photo: 18000
The St. Andrew's Church in Cherkasy, seized from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), was ordered to be "temporarily closed" by local authorities and the OCU (Orthodox Church of Ukraine), according to the local resource 18000.
The "metropolitan" of the OCU in Cherkasy, I. Yaremenko, explained to journalists that this was done to "prevent so-called prayer vigils" by UOC believers.
Additionally, Yaremenko claimed that the city is currently experiencing a "dangerous period."
"In particular, this concerns May 9, when Moscow churches will celebrate the victory of the USSR, while the civilized world will be commemorating the victory over Nazism in World War II," assured the "metropolitan."
It will be recalled that on May 6, police under the direction of the city's mayor, A. Bondarenko, expelled UOC parishioners and clergy from their church. Officials justified the action with documents citing the "transfer to the OCU" of a non-existent fictitious community that had never been associated with the church. In a conversation with the mayor, parishioners requested to see the people who had supposedly "transferred" to the OCU. Bondarenko refused to do so.
Read also
MP: Rada to introduce Day of Old Rus fleet’s campaign against Constantinople
Maksym Buzhanskyi announced the preparation of a new list of state and "religious" holidays.
In Israel, synagogues and mosques closed due to military conflict
Israeli authorities have banned mass gatherings, including services during Ramadan and before Purim.
Romanian Patriarchate calls for peace in the Middle East and Ukraine
The Romanian Orthodox Church has stated the need for urgent solutions to restore peace and called for prayer for those in the world's military conflict zones.
Kyiv City Council deputy: We aim to ensure no UOC communities in Kyiv region
Tytykalo stated that the deputies set the task of "cleansing the Kyiv region of the UOC".
395 UOC churches damaged by shelling since start of war – report
An updated report on damaged religious sites over four years of war in Ukraine includes data on 395 affected UOC churches, as well as hundreds of destroyed or damaged facilities belonging to other denominations.
GOC opens fundraising drive for Sinai Monastery and Holy Sepulchre Church
The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece has called on Greece’s metropolises and parishes to collect donations to support the ancient shrines on Sinai and in Jerusalem.