Metropolitan Theodosius: Police participation in church seizure proves that it is the state that destroys UOC

The hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Theodosius of Cherkasy and Kaniv, spoke about the details of the events on the eve of the seizure of St. Andrew’s Church in Cherkasy. The bishop noted that the mayor of Cherkasy, Anatoly Bondarenko, during a conversation with the metropolitan, admitted that the city authorities have no documents for St. Andrew’s Church and the land under it, but the mayor refused to investigate the issue in court. Metropolitan Feodosiy’s comment was published on the official YouTube channel of the Cherkasy Eparchy of the UOC.

“We talked for a long time with the mayor of Cherkasy Anatoly Bondarenko, who personally came to the seizure of the church, along with the secretary of the Cherkasy City Council Yuri Trenkin. We explained, and they understood us, that according to the law, they cannot take away our church now. They showed us documents that had nothing to do with the property rights to this church and the land plot. We offered to resolve this issue legally, through the courts and other legal procedures, but they refused. We were simply pushed out of the church. And, unfortunately, the head of the local police ordered not to let believers into the church. The temple is now guarded by the Cherkasy police, who are fulfilling a criminal order, violating the Constitution of Ukraine and the law on the national police,” — said Metropolitan Theodosius.

The bishop added that, compared to the seizure of St. Michael’s Cathedral in Cherkasy last year, this time there were no armed bandits involved. However, the main role in the raider attack was played by police officers.

“What is the difference between the situation that took place during the seizure of the cathedral (Archangel Michael Cathedral in Cherkasy — ed.) and the one that took place during the seizure of St. Andrew’s Yard. When the cathedral was seized by obvious bandits armed with stakes, bats, pepper spray, and weapons, they shot, beat, and cursed… This time there were no bandits, but there was police. It was the police who pushed the Orthodox residents of Cherkasy out of their church and now they are not allowed to enter it. The police are representatives of the state authorities, and we will not fight them. However, when representatives of the state authorities behave in this way, they state that it is the state that is destroying our Church,” — the bishop added.