Chernivtsi faithful refute reports of court ruling on cathedral

Chernivtsi believers refuted media reports about a court decision concerning the cathedral. Photo: UOJ

Believers of the Chernivtsi-Bukovyna Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have challenged media reports regarding the legal status of the Holy Spirit Cathedral. Local outlets circulated stories claiming that an appellate court had allegedly overturned the transfer of the church to the OCU structure.

In a Facebook post, the faithful analyzed the text of the court ruling published in the state register and concluded that the information was inaccurate and misleading. They pointed out that sections 7.4 and 7.5 of the court document directly address the issue of the forced eviction of the UOC religious community in favor of OCU supporters.

An OCU lawyer has already submitted a request to the enforcement authorities seeking the removal of obstacles to his supporters’ access to the cathedral. According to one view expressed by the faithful, the misleading media reports are intended to disorient the Orthodox community and create a false sense of security while opponents prepare another forceful action.

Earlier, on February 16, 2025, raiders staged what believers described as a mock “community meeting” outside the cathedral, where around 300 unidentified individuals voted in favor of transferring the parish to the OCU, while claiming that “two thousand votes” had been cast.

On the same day, the actual community of the Holy Spirit Cathedral held a lawful assembly at which 4,506 parishioners unanimously reaffirmed their loyalty to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry. The faithful stress that any attempts to re-register the cathedral or forcibly seize its property are unlawful.

As previously reported by the UOJ, preparations are allegedly underway in Chernivtsi for another attempt to seize the UOC cathedral.

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