Dumenko: Cherkasy hierarch of UOC rejoices seeing his cathedral in OCU

Dumenko delivering a sermon in the cathedral of Cherkasy seized from the UOC. Photo: OCU

On September 7, 2025, the head of the OCU Epifaniy Dumenko held a "liturgy" at St. Michael's Cathedral in Cherkasy, seized from the UOC. During his address, Dumenko read from a sheet of paper a sermon, in which he touched upon the theme of the struggle against the “Russian world”.

According to Dumenko, the relics of the Venerable Martyr Macarius of Kaniv, which rest in the cathedral, are now "in his native church" and the saint himself rejoices because services are now held "in his native language".

Dumenko assured that the brutal seizure of the cathedral in October 2024 by his militants allegedly happened "by the will of the community". And the late Metropolitan Sofroniy of Cherkasy, who built St. Michael's Cathedral, "spiritually rejoices" seeing that the church is now in the OCU.

"We believe that he spiritually rejoices because Ukraine is being freed from the deception of the Russian world and that in this church, which he built, sincere prayer is being offered for Ukraine, for the Ukrainian people, and for victory over the aggressor," Dumenko assured.

On the eve of Dumenko's "service," the Cherkasy Eparchy of the UOC published footage of the bloody assault on the cathedral by Dumenko's militants, as a result of which Metropolitan Theodosiy and parishioners suffered injuries of varying severity. The attackers beat parishioners with sticks, sprayed tear gas, and fired traumatic weapons in the cathedral.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Dumenko announced a "service" in the seized UOC cathedral in Cherkasy.

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