"I felt that I did the right things": the mayor of Cherkassy said that he was not afraid of anathema

The head of the Cherkasy City Council, Anatoliy Bondarenko, commented on the statements of Metropolitan Theodosius of Cherkasy and Kaniv that the mayor was anathematized for his assistance in the seizure of the Archangel Michael Cathedral of the Cherkasy Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Bondarenko said that he is not afraid of anathemas from Metropolitan Theodosius, as he feels that he did everything right. The words of the mayor were reported by the regional publication “PRO VSE”.

«It is extremely unpleasant when the Metropolitan himself lies about calls for a ‘bloody massacre’. I would like to remind Metropolitan Theodosius that he is not the one who can excommunicate. If they excommunicate from the church in which Patriarch Kirill blesses the killing of Ukrainians, then thank God. I have not gone to this church since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. […] He should think about his behavior, not tell me where my family or I will suffer. The first time I went to church after all this, I felt very relieved and felt that I had done the right thing,» said the mayor of Cherkasy.

Earlier, Metropolitan Theodosius of Cherkasy and Kaniv reported that the mayor of Cherkasy Anatoly Bondarenko was excommunicated in connection with his participation in the seizure of the Archangel Michael Cathedral of the Cherkasy Diocese of the UOC. The hierarch added that Bondarenko always has the opportunity to repent if he wants to.