Instead of condemning, OCU hierarch justifies attack on UOC Cathedral in Chernivtsi - Romfea

The Greek church publication Romfea published an article on the reaction of the head of the Chernivtsi Diocese of the OCU, Theognost Bodoryak, to the unsuccessful attempt to seize the Holy Spirit Cathedral of the Chernivtsi-Bukovyna Diocese of the UOC. The publication noted that instead of condemning the attack and beating by the raiders of the OCU, Bodoryak, on the contrary, justified what happened and even stated that the church would still be owned by the OCU. The material was published on the website Romfea.gr.

“Instead of condemning the beating, the bishop (Feognost Bodoryak – Ed.) expressed his conviction that the cathedral should become the property of the Autocephalous Church (OCU – Ed.), thus indicating a clear position in favor of what is happening. In an open address “to all the Orthodox of Bukovyna,” Bishop Theognost directly accuses the clergy and faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of refusing to unite with the Autocephalous Church. Moreover, he goes further, calling the canonical Metropolitan Meletiy of Chernivtsi and Bukovyna “a citizen of Russia who promotes the narratives and teachings of the Russian Church, which is an ideological heresy.” This statement emphasizes the strong polarization and deep split between the two church authorities in Ukraine,” – the publication noted.

The authors of the publication added that some clerics of the Chernivtsi diocese of the OCU even brought militants to the cathedral to beat priests and believers of the UOC. Romfea believes that this situation is indicative of the issue of dialogue between the UOC and the OCU.

“The situation is aggravated by excerpts from internal correspondence between Bishop Theognostos and the clergy published on the Internet, which relate to the moment of the seizure of the church. In them, the Ukrainian bishop calls the seizure of the cathedral “historic” and demands that all clergy and believers of the OCU come to the cathedral to actively support the seizure. It is worth noting that, according to some reports, the clergy of Bishop Theodore’s church allegedly drove one of the militant groups to the cathedral in their car, which is reportedly confirmed by CCTV footage. This evidence adds a new dimension to the accusations of the active participation of the OCU clergy in the occupation, making the situation even more serious,” – Romfea noted.

Earlier, we reported that the largest Greek church media Romfea and The Orthodox Times published materials on the unsuccessful attempt to seize the Holy Spirit Cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Chernivtsi by supporters of the OCU. The authors of the publications do not hide their shock at the event and call on Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople to finally intervene in the “shameful situation” taking place in Ukrainian Orthodoxy.