The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) has little choice but to “go underground” after being forced out of its main place of worship in the central city of Cherkasy, the leader of the diocese has said.
Dozens of men in military-style clothing stormed St. Michael’s Cathedral, the largest church in Ukraine, early on Thursday morning. The raiders were initially repelled by members of the church, but a renewed assault hours later resulted in the Kiev-backed Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) seizing control of the building.
The Ukrainian government has been cracking down on the UOC for years, claiming that the organization does the bidding of the Russian government. Ukrainian officials described the transfer of the Cherkasy cathedral as “peaceful.”
While the attackers were preparing for their second attempt to seize the building, Cherkasy Mayor Aleksandr Bondarenko urged people to go to the cathedral to “express their thoughts about… the presence of a Moscow church in our city.”
Metropolitan Theodosius, the leader of the diocese, addressed his congregation after the cathedral had been seized, saying that the defenders of the building had done all they could under the circumstances. Considering the political climate in Ukraine, there is little hope that the cathedral will be returned through Ukrainian courts, he lamented.
“God’s grace is leaving the cathedral with us,” Theodosius said. “This house is empty now, and grace will only return, when we, people of faith, come back.”
“We are going to our homes, to attics and cellars. We will be praying and conducting services in the underground, if our temples are taken away from us,” he added.
Theodosius was speaking with his eyes closed, suggesting he had been being doused with pepper spray, while his bishop’s headdress had a visible dent in it. He was reportedly struck by an attacker with enough force to bend the decorative cross on it.
According to local medics, 26 people were hurt in the clashes, including 12 who were taken to the hospital for treatment. Many injuries were caused by mace, but some patients had broken bones.
Russia on Thursday condemned the incident and criticized international organizations which supposedly aim to combat religious persecution. The Ukrainian government led by Vladimir Zelensky takes this negligence as encouragement for a further crackdown, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned.
“We reiterate our call to the relevant international human rights organizations to do their job,” the statement stressed.