OCU militants used altar as toilet during violent cathedral seizure in Chernivtsi

Chernivtsi, Ukraine, June 27, 2025

Holy Spirit Cathedral in Chernivtsi. Photo: tripadvisor.com Holy Spirit Cathedral in Chernivtsi. Photo: tripadvisor.com     

Multiple Orthodox representatives report that militants brought in by the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) desecrated the Holy Spirit Cathedral’s altar by using it as a toilet during their attempted seizure of the canonical church property on June 17.

The violent takeover resulted in severe injuries to several UOC representatives, including His Eminence Metropolitan Meletiy of Chernivtsi and two priests, with many requiring hospitalization.

During the several hours that OCU militants controlled the cathedral, witnesses say they committed acts of desecration within the sanctuary, reports the Union of Orthodox Journalists. His Eminence Metropolitan Longin of Bancheny stated after a court hearing on June 18 that the militants entered the altar and relieved themselves there.

Met Meletiy, who was present during the hours-long ordeal and who was attacked and tear gassed, described the actions the day after the seizure, saying the militants “committed such outrages that can’t even be spoken aloud” in the altar, “satisfying their needs there.” He also reported that the militants smoked in the altar.

Cathedral parishioner Ivan Khmelevsky provided additional details in an interview, stating that “they defecated there. This was inside the cathedral: in the altar and in the vestry.” He noted that the militants used buckets designated for holy water as toilets.

The Union of Orthodox Journalists also reports that the militants were paid to attack the Orthodox church.

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6/27/2025

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