The situation with the persecution of the UOC and the attack by supporters of the OCU on the clergy and faithful of the Church in Chernivtsi were discussed at a meeting of the World Council of Churches

A meeting of the World Council of Churches, held in Johannesburg (South Africa) from June 18 to 24, considered the situation with the church conflict in Ukraine. In particular, at the initiative of the Russian Orthodox Church delegation, the general public was informed about the recent attempt to seize the Holy Spirit Cathedral of the UOC in Chernivtsi, where priests and believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church were beaten by supporters of the OCU. This is reported by the ROC DECR Communication Service.

It is reported that at the initiative of the delegation of the Moscow Patriarchate, the Central Committee made a judgment on the situation of the persecuted Ukrainian Orthodox Church. In particular, attention was drawn to the attempted seizure of the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Chernivtsi on June 17, 2025.

We recall that the recently defrocked former cleric of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill Govorun, spoke about his impressions of participating in a meeting of the World Council of Churches held in Johannesburg. Govorun was outraged by the fact that the WCC has not yet accepted the OCU into the organization, blaming it on “Russian propaganda.”