Chernivtsi, Chernivtsi Province, Ukraine, June 18, 2025
Photo: spzh.eu
Violent schismatics ultimately failed to seize the Holy Spirit Cathedral of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Chernivtsi yesterday.
The confrontation lasted several hours, during which law enforcement helped extremists of the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” occupy the cathedral. Multiple clergy members sustained injuries, including the local bishop, while one priest suffered broken ribs from the violence, according to reports from the Union of Orthodox Journalists, with reference to eyewitness videos.
Chemical irritants were deployed during the incident, but ultimately over 1,000 Orthodox believers who rallied to protect their sanctuary managed to break through and reclaim the church, where they subsequently conducted prayers of gratitude.
In the early afternoon, approximately 50 aggressive raiders attempted a forcible seizure of the cathedral. The attackers stormed the church grounds, using violence against clergy and parishioners.
Met. Meletiy was sprayed with tear gas. Photo: spzh.eu
Several people sustained serious injuries in the assault and were hospitalized. Fr. Vitaly Goncharyuk suffered broken ribs and suspected internal organ damage after being brutally beaten on church grounds while attempting to defend the sanctuary. His Eminence Metropolitan Meletiy of Chernivtsi and Bukovina was also attacked—assailants poured tear gas into his eyes, leaving him unable to move on his own. Nearby believers helped the Metropolitan to a bench and provided assistance.
Witnesses reported that masked militants blocked all entrances to the church and continued attacking anyone attempting to approach the sanctuary. The assault appeared to have been planned in advance.
Rather than stopping the violence, police formed a human shield preventing Ukrainian Orthodox Church believers from accessing their cathedral while supporting the raiders. Video footage showed officers using batons and tear gas against the faithful while allowing the attackers to maintain control of the church grounds.
After hours of confrontation, the mass of Orthodox believers who gathered to defend their church managed to break through barriers to reach their sanctuary. The crowd forced out the militants who had been blocking the church and regained control of the cathedral territory.
Following negotiations with police, the peaceful parishioners agreed to create a “corridor” for the raiders to exit and avoid further violence. Police escorted the group of militants to waiting buses and removed them from church grounds along with the officers. As the attackers departed, believers chanted “Shame!” expressing their outrage at the attempted seizure.
The Holy Spirit Cathedral returned to the control of its canonical community, with believers gathering for prayer and giving thanks for the protection of their sacred sanctuary.
After regaining control of their cathedral, the Orthodox faithful chanted, “Glory to God!”
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Following the attack, Met. Meletiy, who had been sprayed with tear gas during the assault, issued appeals for protection to international organizations including the United Nations, the OSCE, U.S. Vice President J. D. Vance, and the White House Office of Faith-Based Initiatives. The Metropolitan called on international human rights defenders to protect the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, emphasizing that police were defending the militants who had seized the cathedral while using force against parishioners attempting to enter their own sanctuary.
After the faithful successfully reclaimed their cathedral, Met. Meletiy also addressed Patriarch Bartholomew and OCU leader Epiphany Dumenko. He told the Patriarch that his decision to grant a “tomos” of autocephaly to the schismatics “created the trouble we observe today.” The hierarch noted that in Dumenko’s home village, the OCU church stands empty while his supporters forcibly invade active UOC parishes, stating that seized churches across Bukovina have fallen into similar abandonment where “prayer has ceased, holy Liturgies have stopped, and they prevent prayers for our soldiers defending us in the East.”
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