UOC priests from Chernivtsi, victims of OCU raiders, visit historic Romanian monastery

On July 2, 2025, clergy of the Chernivtsi-Bukovyna Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church took part in a festive service at one of Romania’s most revered monasteries — Putna. The visit was held in commemoration of the 521st anniversary of the repose of Saint Stephen the Great. This was reported by the Telegram channel “First Cossack”.

The festive liturgy at the monastery was led by Metropolitan Ignatios, a hierarch of the Antiochian Orthodox Church. He was concelebrated by the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Melchisedek (Melnyk), the monastic brotherhood, clergy of the Romanian Orthodox Church, and visiting priests.

Among the invited guests was Archpriest Vasyl Kovalchuk, dean of the Storozhynets district of the UOC. He is known for his firm stance in defending Orthodox churches in Bukovyna, for which he is currently facing pressure from local authorities and representatives of the OCU. Also present were clergy of the Chernivtsi-Bukovyna Diocese — specifically priests who were assaulted during the attack on the UOC’s Holy Spirit Cathedral in Chernivtsi.

Earlier, it was reported that OCU lobbyist and religious studies expert Oleksandr Brodetsky criticized the Romanian Orthodox Church for refusing to recognize the Ukrainian schism. Brodetsky accused the Romanian Patriarchate of imperialism and of siding with Ukrainian Orthodox Church clergy in the context of the Ukrainian church crisis.