Mayor of Cherkasy elected head of parish council of seized UOC cathedral
The Orthodox shrine will be transferred to municipal ownership.
Mayor of Cherkasy Anatoliy Bondarenko has been appointed chairman of the parish council of St. Michael's Cathedral, which was stormed and seized by radicals who attacked UOC clergy and believers. In his video address, Bondarenko stated that the cathedral will be transferred to municipal ownership.
"The cathedral will belong to the community of the city of Cherkasy. I have instructed that the paperwork begin to ensure the cathedral and all the buildings under construction there become the property of the community. These buildings will be in municipal ownership," he said.
The official also commented on the situation with the unfinished bell tower, which UOC believers had been building with their own efforts. According to him, a certain "community will now have to decide what to do with this structure." He mentioned that the bell tower is already 50% complete, with three floors, a hall, classrooms, and other spaces.
As the UOJ reported, the OCU in Cherkasy had canceled services in other churches to gather crowds at the seized cathedral.