Parishioners of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UPC-MP) have taken over the largest Orthodox church in Cherkasy – the Mikhailovsky Cathedral, the greater part of which was transferred to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, reported UNIAN on 17th of October.
According to information, 18 thousand supporters of the Moscow church broke the entrance gate and entered the territory of the temple using tear gas. Around 09:00 the parishioners of the UOC took over the cathedral.
Also, from the video circulating on social networks, it can be seen that inside the temple, some people started using armatures from the pews against the camouflaged ones and pushed them out of the cathedral.
Subsequently, it became known that the police had arrived at the temple. Law enforcement officers reported that they are ensuring public order and documenting violations and identifying all participants in the incident.
The storming of the cathedral in Cherkasy
The Cherkasy priest Vladimir Ridney wrote on Facebook that the Cathedral of St. Michael in Cherkasy, which for a long time was under the control of the Moscow Patriarchate, is being transferred to the OCU.
He added that from now on the temple will always be open to military personnel because it has already become a garrison temple.
“Also, on the territory of the temple, a center for national-patriotic education, a Sunday school and the training of priests will be created… All parishioners who were and remain in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) are invited to pray in Garrison church in Ukrainian,” Ridney noted.
Illustrative Photo by Maria Charizani: https://www.pexels.com/photo/hand-holding-a-small-colorful-building-model-figurine-5994786/
