Beaten UOC priest: 'They didn’t even try to expel us – they just beat us'

Photo: Priest Roman Forost, beaten by OCU militants. Photo: UOJ

This story was originally published on the UOJ's Ukrainian branch (SPZh) site.

CHERNIVTSI — The priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), Roman Forost, who was beaten by Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) militants during the storming of the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Chernivtsi earlier this month, recounted how the events unfolded during the seizure of the church.

According to him, he and his matushka (wife) had been working to tidy the cathedral grounds and were preparing to leave when militants burst into the church.

“These raiders, these young men, began to mock the people inside the church and beat them mercilessly. They even struck my wife – she had hidden the children in the car, but she was assaulted too,” said the injured priest.

What shocked Fr. Roman most was the fact that the attackers made no attempt to negotiate or demand that they vacate the premises.

“One very telling detail: they didn’t say, ‘Leave,’ or try to push us out – they simply started beating us. They hit us in the head, beat our bodies. It was that brazen,” he noted.

The priest emphasized that not only he and Fr. Vitalii were injured, but also many other clergy who were present in the cathedral.

Videos from the incident show that the attackers included physically strong young men.

Despite what happened, Fr. Roman said he holds no hatred toward his attackers:

“I don’t condemn these guys, because maybe they’ve never known anything good in life. Maybe they were manipulated, promised something, and that’s what made them the way they are.”

The priest also addressed those who orchestrated the attack, stressing that they bear responsibility before God for unleashing these young men upon the church.

“These are our children – our future. And if they grow up committing such injustice and lawlessness, knowing they won’t be punished, then if something goes wrong in their lives, they will beat, humiliate, perhaps even rape and kill. Because they’ll believe they can get away with it. But the Lord will demand an account from those who pushed these boys into wrongdoing,” said Fr. Roman.

In conclusion, he asked the faithful to pray for him and expressed hope in God’s mercy for all those involved in the conflict.

Previously, UOJ's Ukrainian branch (SPZh) reported the release of a video showing OCU clerics transporting militants to the UOC cathedral in Chernivtsi.

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