UOC priest tells of beatings during seizure of cathedral in Chernivtsi

During the forcible seizure of the Holy Spirit Cathedral of the UOC in Chernivtsi, clergy members were injured, including the church’s cleric, Father Roman Forost. He shared details of the attack by representatives of the OCU. According to the priest, the events unfolded suddenly: he and his wife were working on the church grounds when a group of young men burst into the cathedral. The clergyman notes that the attackers acted brutally, without attempting negotiations or giving any warning of their intentions. The priest’s testimony was published by the YouTube channel “Pershyi Kozatskyi.”

“These raiders, these young guys began to abuse the people who were in the church, beating them mercilessly. Even my wife was hit — she had hidden the children in the car, and she got hurt too,” the priest reported.

Father Roman emphasizes that the attackers’ aggression was immediate. They struck the head and torso, without making any demands or trying to remove people from the church peacefully.

“This is a characteristic feature: they didn’t tell us ‘leave’ or push us out — they just beat us. Beat us on the head, on the body. So cynically,” he said.

As a result of the attack, not only Fr. Roman and his wife were injured, but also other priests who were in the cathedral at the time. According to him, the attackers acted in an organized manner, and among them were physically trained men.

“Not only I and Fr. Vitalii were injured. Many priests. Everyone was beaten,” he stressed.

Despite what he experienced, Fr. Roman expressed sympathy for those who attacked him and said he holds no personal grudge.

“I don’t condemn these guys, because maybe they’ve never seen anything good in life. Maybe someone manipulated them, gave them something, and that’s why they became like this,” the priest said.

At the same time, he addressed those behind the organization of the attack:

“This is our future — these are children who will grow up. And if they commit such injustice and lawlessness and know they won’t be punished, then if something goes wrong in their lives, they will beat, humiliate, possibly rape, and even kill. Because they will know they can get away with it. Because the Lord will demand from them the injustice they pushed these boys into,” the priest concluded.

It should be noted that at the meeting of the World Council of Churches held in Johannesburg (South Africa) from June 18 to 24, the situation regarding the church conflict in Ukraine was discussed. In particular, at the initiative of the ROC delegation, information was presented to the broader public about the recent attempt to seize the Holy Spirit Cathedral of the UOC in Chernivtsi, where supporters of the OCU allegedly beat priests and believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.