In Chernivtsi, on the anniversary of the attempted seizure of the Holy Spirit Cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, supporters of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine held a prayer service of thanksgiving

On June 17, 2026, a thanksgiving service was held at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Chernivtsi to mark the anniversary of the events surrounding the attempted seizure of the cathedral. According to the Information and Education Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, citing the Facebook page “Faithful of the Chernivtsi-Bukovina Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church,” the service was led by Metropolitan Sergiy of Ternopil and Kremenets and Metropolitan Meletiy of Chernivtsi and Bukovina.

According to the source, a year ago, an organized group of young people entered the grounds of Bukovina’s main Orthodox shrine, after which clashes broke out. The report notes that prior to the attempted takeover, some of the participants entered the cathedral using a wheelchair carrying “a person with a disability.” During the incident, it is alleged that one of the clergymen had his ribs broken, and physical force was also used against other clergy and worshippers. It is reported that Metropolitan Meletios of Chernivtsi and Bukovina was also injured.

According to the UOC, OCU clergy had already entered the cathedral at the time of the attack. Once the faithful became aware of what was happening, thousands of Orthodox residents of Bukovina flocked to the cathedral. As a result, according to the report, the attackers were forced to retreat.

On the anniversary of these events, a thanksgiving service was held at the cathedral. Metropolitans Sergiy and Meletiy were joined in the service by clergy from the Chernivtsi Diocese. The faithful offered prayers of thanksgiving that the holy site had been successfully defended and, as noted in the report, glorified the Lord for the hardships endured during this trial.

As a reminder, we previously reported that the situation regarding the ecclesiastical conflict in Ukraine was discussed at a meeting of the World Council of Churches, which took place in Johannesburg (South Africa) from June 18 to 24, 2025. In particular, at the initiative of the Russian Orthodox Church delegation, information was brought to the attention of the general public regarding an attempt to seize the Holy Spirit Cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Chernivtsi, where supporters of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine beat priests and believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.