Hundreds of UOC believers in Storozhynets hold procession to City Council

Religious procession of the UOC in Storozhynets. Photo: t.me/orthobuk

On February 9, 2025, hundreds of UOC believers in Storozhynets, Bukovyna, participated in a religious procession to the city administration building, where they reaffirmed their desire to remain under the omophorion of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry.

After a prayer service held in the churches, the believers proceeded in a religious procession to the city center, where local OCU activists had organized a raider gathering.

The target of these raiders was two UOC churches in Bukovyna – St. George’s Church and the Church of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel. Reports also emerged of widespread document falsifications aimed at legitimizing the so-called "transition" of these churches.

UOC believers held a memorial service for fallen soldiers. Meanwhile, groups of OCU activists were conducting a rally, where anti-Orthodox Christian rhetoric was reportedly heard.

Parishioners of the Storozhynets churches gathered at the city administration building, where priests from the Bukovyna Eparchy representing various communities, including Romanian-speaking ones, spoke. Believers reaffirmed their intention to remain within the UOC.

Clergy members also reported that they had sent an official appeal to the U.S. Embassy and to Vice President J.D. Vance, requesting protection of their rights. The total number of participants in the religious procession was several hundred.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Storozhynets Deanery of the Chernivtsi-Bukovyna Eparchy of the UOC had sent a letter to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Romanian Consulate, and the U.S. Embassy, seeking protection of their rights.

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