Ukrainian diocese ‘goes underground’ after raid on cathedral
The main place of worship in Cherkasy is no longer “graced by God” after a forced takeover, Metropolitan Theodosius has said | 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 Kyiv-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. [Lying between their teeth,] 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.”
■ Church raid in Ukraine linked to Zelensky ‘victory plan’ (RT.com)
⚡️ Комментарий официального представителя МИД России М.В.Захаровой в связи захватом Архангело-Михайловского собора Украинской православной церкви в Черкассах (МИД России 🇷🇺)