Chernivtsi Metropolitan and cathedral community appeal to Pat. Bartholomew

The UOC faithful after reclaiming the cathedral. Photo: UOJ

Metropolitan Meletiy of Chernivtsi and Bukovyna sent a letter to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, calling for his intervention regarding the dramatic events that took place on June 17, 2025, in the city of Chernivtsi during an attempted violent seizure of the Holy Spirit Cathedral of the UOC, reports UOJ in Greece citing its sources.

The letter, signed by the metropolitan along with thousands of the cathedral parishioners, details incidents of brutal violence in which clergy and parishioners were attacked by OCU supporters led by clerics directly connected to the leadership of this organization. Metropolitan Meletiy, who heads the Department of External Church Relations of the UOC, describes the events as “violence in sacred vestments”.

The authors of the letter appeal to the Patriarch, urging him not to remain silent but to speak out in condemnation and call on the leadership of the OCU to Christian responsibility by firmly denouncing any acts of violence and extremism carried out under the guise of the struggle for autocephaly. As noted in the appeal, the events in Chernivtsi fit into a broader context of systematic attacks and seizures of Orthodox churches across Ukraine, which have catastrophic consequences for church life, the unity of believers, and the spiritual condition of the country.

The metropolitan and the cathedral community ask for the intercession of Patriarch Bartholomew to prevent further escalation of violence and to seek a solution based on truth, justice, and unity in Christ.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Metropolitan Meletiy appealed to Patriarch Bartholomew immediately after the temple was freed from the UOC militants.

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