Chernihiv authorities give Transfiguration Cathedral seized from UOC to OCU

The director of the Ancient Chernihiv Reserve, Lisovyi, tells OCU supporters that they are "true Ukrainians". Photo: V. Nazarenko's Facebook

On December 25, 2023, the Ancient Chernihiv Reserve, which expelled the UOC community from the Transfiguration Cathedral in October, granted access to the OCU. A “Christmas service” was conducted in the cathedral by OCU "Bishop" Antoniy Firley and his assistants, reports Suspilne.

According to the source, the UOC community also attempted to enter the cathedral but was not allowed in. During the “service”, Firley stated that this was a “historic event happening for the first time in 300 years.” However, Andriy Lisovyi, the director of the reserve, disagreed, reminding that during the Nazi occupation in 1942, services were held here in Ukrainian by the Ukrainian Autonomous Orthodox Church.

The head of the reserve expressed confidence that “many people” would have wanted to attend the OCU service, but “we held an intimate service to avoid endangering Ukrainians during wartime.”

He stated that he was very proud of the event, as “we managed to reclaim this majestic cathedral from the spiritual occupation of the Russian world.” He also thanked those present, calling them “true Ukrainians.” Whether the UOC community members expelled from the cathedral were considered “not true Ukrainians,” Lisovyi did not specify.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that under the pretext of “restoration” the Ministry of Culture had seized three cathedrals in Chernihiv from the UOC.

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