Chernivtsi Metropolitan appeals to US leaders and UN over cathedral seizure

Metropolitan Meletiy. Photo: UOJ

On June 17, 2025, during the seizure of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Chernivtsi by OCU militants, Metropolitan Meletiy of Chernivtsi issued an appeal for protection to the United Nations, the OSCE, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, and the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, reports a UOJ correspondent.

Having suffered personally from the actions of OCU militants and law enforcement near the cathedral, Metropolitan Meletiy is calling on all international human rights defenders to protect the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The hierarch emphasized that at this very moment, the police are protecting several dozen paid OCU militants who have taken over the UOC's Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, and are using force against parishioners who are trying to access their sacred church.

The UOJ previously reported that during the violent assault on the cathedral, OCU supporters severely injured a UOC cleric – Archpriest Vitaliy Honcharuk. Preliminary information indicates that Fr. Vitaliy suffered broken ribs and possible internal injuries and was urgently hospitalized.

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