Ukraine Parishioners Abandon Cathedral Taken by OCU

Photo: Вірні Чернівецько-Буковинської єпархії УПЦ/Facebook

VOLODYMYR, UKRAINE — Just days after the first liturgy was celebrated at the Vladimir Cathedral under the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), attendance has sharply declined. Photos from the February 2 service, taken after Metr. Epiphany and members of the Rada departed, show only a handful of faithful present.

The drop comes amid local discontent over the OCU’s takeover of the cathedral from the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). Dumenko's supporters triumphantly showed photos of a packed first liturgy. But many parishioners who had attended the initial service reportedly left in protest, unwilling to participate in a church now controlled by the schismatic OCU. While the first service had been widely publicized as a triumph for the OCU, the empty nave highlights that support among the local Orthodox faithful remains limited.

The situation underscores ongoing tensions in Bukovina, where state-supported efforts to transfer UOC churches to the OCU continue to face resistance from parish communities loyal to the canonical Church.

Previously, the UOJ reported that Dumenko announced a church service in the occupied UOC Cathedral of Cherkasy. 

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