UOC priests issue an appeal to all Orthodox believers of Bukovyna

Clergy of the Chernivtsi–Bukovyna Eparchy. Photo: Eparchy’s Facebook page

On July 1, 2025, the clergy of the Chernivtsi-Bukovyna Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church published an open appeal to the faithful. The text of the appeal was posted on the Facebook page “Faithful of the Chernivtsi-Bukovyna Eparchy of the UOC.”

The priests stressed that since the Baptism of Rus’, “our land has preserved the Christian faith, which by God’s grace grows and bears abundant fruit on the soil of Bukovyna.” They described the people of Bukovina as “kind, sincere, hardworking, and devout,” who kept their faith even in the harshest times – and who are once again being put to the test.

“Recently, among supporters of the OCU, an appeal emerged that contained harsh and unjust accusations. In it, we – Orthodox priests and believers of Bukovyna – are accused of things we have neither done nor profess,” the statement reads. According to the clergy, such accusations are “a deliberate distortion of reality.”

In response, the clergy emphasized: “We do not believe in the ‘Russian World’ – we believe in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! We have the peace of Christ (John 14:27). Our parishioners live and serve here, in Ukraine. They pray, defend the Homeland, volunteer, and help their neighbors. To accuse them of treason is to betray the truth.”

The authors of the appeal also recalled that the UOC Council in Feofania proclaimed its desire for full canonical independence, and today the Church already possesses all the attributes of such autonomy. “The Church independently decides all matters of its internal and external life,” the document states.

The priests further underscored that the faith of Bukovyna’s Orthodox believers is conscious and deliberate: “We read Holy Scripture, unite with God in the holy sacraments, and in peace with ourselves we strive to grow closer to the ideal Christ gave us. We believe not ‘out of habit,’ but with our hearts and minds.”

“It is deeply painful to see those who call themselves our brothers in faith come to us in anger, seize churches, humiliate, and even physically injure our priests and faithful,” the appeal says.

In conclusion, the clergy emphasize: “We do not seek enmity. We want only one thing: to live with God, to pray in our churches, not to fear for our confession of faith, and to live in a free and independent Ukraine.”

Earlier, the UOJ reported that believers from Bukovyna took part in a massive cross procession in Suceava.

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