Legal battle for the Holy Spirit Cathedral of the UOC in Chernivtsi: the fate of the main church of the region will be decided in court

The fate of the Holy Spirit Cathedral of the UOC in Chernivtsi remains at the center of a long-running legal and interfaith conflict. on April 1, a meeting of the Court of Appeal will be held, which may be decisive in the transfer of the church to the OCU. Despite previous court decisions ordering to vacate the premises, representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church continue to hold services in the church and challenge the property rights. This was reported by Suspilne Chernivtsi.

The conflict around the main Orthodox shrine of Bukovyna has escalated after a number of court rulings in favor of the OCU. In particular, the Economic Court recognized that the UOC parish “unreasonably uses the cathedral,” the owner of which has recently been indicated as the local diocese of the OCU. In addition, the Administrative Court confirmed the legitimacy of the actions of the state registrar of the Lviv Regional State Administration, which recorded the “transfer of the community” to the jurisdiction of the OCU. However, Metropolitan Meletiy of Chernivtsi and Bukovyna of the UOC calls these decisions “illegal and groundless.”

The history of confrontation has already led to violent clashes. In June 2024, an attempt by representatives of the OCU to seize a church ended in mass riots, during which the police were forced to use tear gas. At that time, 12 people sought medical care, and law enforcement officers opened several criminal proceedings on the facts of hooliganism and violence against police officers.

The situation is complicated by personal sanctions and the issue of citizenship of the leadership of the Chernivtsi Diocese of the UOC. Earlier, by a decree of the President of Ukraine, the citizenship of Metropolitan Meletiy was terminated on the basis of the SBU’s data on his alleged possession of a Russian passport. At the same time, representatives of the OCU insist that the cathedral should be theirs, categorically rejecting any form of dialogue, even in the form of alternate use of the Holy Spirit Cathedral with the clergy and believers of the UOC, as the local authorities insist.

The lawyers note that if the Court of Appeal rejects the appeal of the Chernivtsi Diocese of the UOC, the decision of the first instance will come into force immediately. In this case, the executive service will be able to begin the process of forced eviction of the UOC from the buildings of the Holy Spirit Cathedral, although experts warn that due to the sensitivity of the religious issue, the process may be delayed.

As we reported earlier, on January 21, 2026, the Economic Court of the Chernivtsi Region ruled that the Administration of the Chernivtsi-Bukovyna Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) is obliged to vacate and transfer the Holy Spirit Cathedral, as well as a hotel and a boiler room located at 85 Holovna Street, Chernivtsi, to the OCU. The court’s decision is to be enforced with the signing of an act of acceptance and transfer of property.