UOC bishop comments on situation around Holy Spirit Cathedral in Chernivtsi
Metropolitan Meletiy said court rulings transferring Bukovyna’s main shrine to the OCU are unlawful.
Metropolitan Meletiy of Chernivtsi and Bukovyna commented on the ongoing legal proceedings surrounding the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Chernivtsi.
In his remarks, the hierarch stressed that the decisions to hand the church over to representatives of the OCU have no legal basis. “These decisions are unlawful, unfounded, and adopted in violation of current legislation,” Metropolitan Meletiy said.
He added that the OCU’s claims to the cathedral are artificial and that the OCU community has no connection to the shrine. “The reality we see today confirms this – look at who is actually serving in the cathedral,” the hierarch noted.
The conflict over the shrine escalated in early 2025. On February 16, unidentified individuals held a meeting “in the street,” at which they declared the cathedral’s transfer to the OCU. At the same time, a lawful assembly of the religious community took place inside the cathedral, where 4,506 faithful unanimously voted to remain with the UOC under His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that the cathedral community in Chernivtsi had filed an appeal against the transfer of the shrine to the OCU.
