Romanian media widely report on attempted seizure of Chernivtsi cathedral

The Holy Spirit Cathedral in Chernivtsi. Photo: uk.wikipedia.org

On June 17, 2025, several major Romanian media reported an attempted forcible takeover of the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Chernivtsi, which is regularly used by the Romanian Orthodox community of Bukovyna for worship services.

As noted by Digi24, the events in the church, where services are conducted in Romanian, caused "shock and outrage" among local Romanians. After the incident, hundreds of believers began to gather at the cathedral – Romanian parishioners and clergy from nearby villages who came to protest against the events. The church holds special significance for the Romanian community as it was built at the initiative of Eudoxiu Hurmuzachi and other representatives of the Romanian elite of Bukovyna in the 19th century.

According to eyewitnesses, the attackers used fire extinguishers, and later the police cordoned off the building. One of the protest participants told Agerpres that "more than 20 people came, removed the priests, beat two of them, and struck Metropolitan Meletius on the head."

The news site ObservatorNews reports that the attackers involved in the attempted seizure of the cathedral in Chernivtsi entered the church disguised as disabled individuals. Surveillance cameras recorded how one of them was brought into the cathedral in a wheelchair, after which he got up from the chair and entered the temple with others.

The site DCNews reports that the Romanian community of the Chernivtsi region is concerned about the attempted takeover of the cathedral, where they have held services for many years. The article emphasizes that hundreds of Romanians may lose access to their spiritual center. "The Romanian community of Chernivtsi is saddened that places of worship they belong to are being taken away without their consent," the publication quotes eyewitnesses.

Romanian media emphasize that the Romanian community of Chernivtsi is concerned about the attempted forcible change of church jurisdiction and the loss of access to their place of worship. Some publications, including HotNews, Adevarul, and Flux24, call the events a "provocation" and a "threat to the spiritual identity of Romanians in Ukraine".

Earlier, the UOJ reported that UOC believers in Chernivtsi expelled raiders from the cathedral.

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