As reported, after an unsuccessful nighttime attempt to seize the cathedral on October 17, the OCU raiders, having increased their number, finally took possession of the Archangel Michael Cathedral of the Cherkasy Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. During the next clash, the clergy and parishioners of the church were expelled from the premises. Many clergymen and believers of the UOC suffered injuries of varying severity and chemical burns from the raiders’ use of tear gas.
Head of Cherkasy Diocese of OCU complains that UOC priests do not want to join schism
The head of the Cherkasy Diocese of the OCU, Ivan Yaremenko, complains that the clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the region do not want to join the schism even when their churches are taken away from them. According to Yaremenko, in 2024, only one clergyman of the UOC joined the OCU. He said this in a commentary to Suspilne.Cherkasy.
It is reported that in 2024, the OCU managed to seize 30 churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. At the same time, only in one such case a priest of the UOC joined the OCU. According to Ivan Yaremenko, since 2022, the local diocese of the OCU has managed to acquire about 100 churches of the UOC. In Cherkasy itself, with the help of the cooperation of the OCU and radical activists, only 3 churches of the UOC remained.
“This year there are no priests who value their community. Only one was found. If you take Kaniv, Cherkasy, it is always with some kind of disputes, some kind of fights. These churches are obviously more important as “strongholds of the Russian world” for which they are fighting,” — Yaremenko said.
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