His Beatitude awards defenders of UOC Cathedral in Chernivtsi
Award ceremony at the Holy Spirit Cathedral. Photo: YouTube channel “Virnyi”
On July 12, 2025, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry awarded those who defended the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Chernivtsi and who suffered most at the hands of OCU militants during the assault on the church on June 17, First Cossack reports. Among them were priests who were brutally beaten by the attackers – Vitaliy Honcharuk and Roman Forost. The awards, given on behalf of the Primate, were presented by Metropolitan Meletiy of Chernivtsi.
“Chernivtsi has become a special place for the entire Orthodox world, where Orthodox people defended their holy site. They protected this shared spiritual home from those who tried to seize it. This event received wide attention around the world. Our Primate, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry, was deeply moved and followed everything almost live, so to speak. His Beatitude asked me to bow low to everyone, everyone, everyone who took part in defending the cathedral,” the hierarch said.
He emphasized that human capabilities are limited, and it is very difficult to honor every one of the thousands of defenders and every tear shed at the church. That is why His Beatitude blessed the awarding of clergy and parishioners who suffered most in the attack.
As a reminder, on June 17, 2025, there was a violent attack on the Holy Spirit Cathedral by OCU militants. Several UOC clergy were brutally beaten. For several hours, Dumenko’s supporters managed to seize the cathedral, but the faithful were able to retake it.
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