Orthodox leader suffers burns and concussion in raid on Ukrainian cathedral (VIDEO)

Footage from the scene has emerged of Metropolitan Theodosius being hit in the head with a stick

Metropolitan Theodosius suffered a concussion and burns when an Orthodox cathedral in central Ukraine was raided by armed men earlier this week, the Cherkasy diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) has said.

Around a hundred men in military fatigues clashed with believers at St. Michael’s Cathedral, which belongs to the UOC, in the city of Cherkasy. The raiders reportedly used tear gas, smoke grenades and fired a gas pistol into the crowd. Icons, documents and some $60,000 raised by the congregation for the needs of the church were said to have been stolen.

The press service of the Cherkasy diocese of the UOC said in a statement on Telegram on Saturday that the attack had been carried out by “supporters of the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU),” which is backed by Kiev.

The flock repelled the first attempt to storm the church, but the raiders were able to gain control of the place of worship on their second try, it noted.

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Dozens of Orthodox believers were wounded in the standoff, with 12 of them requiring hospitalization, the statement read. One of those injured was the head of the diocese, Metropolitan Theodosius of Cherkasy, it added.

The hierarch was “diagnosed with a concussion, first-degree burns of the cornea of both eyes and skin burns,” the diocese said.

A video made during the raid reportedly shows Metropolitan Theodosius being hit in the head with a stick by one of the attackers.

The hierarch’s headdress had a visible dent in it when was addressing parishioners later on Thursday. The blow appeared to have been so strong that it bent the decorative cross on it.

“We are going to our homes, to attics and cellars. We will be praying and conducting services underground, if our temples are taken away from us,” Metropolitan Theodosius told the believers at the time.

Ukraine has been gripped by religious tensions for years, with two rivals claiming to be the country’s true Orthodox Church.

Kiev supports the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), which was established in 2018 and which the Russian Orthodox Church considers schismatic. Zelensky has explained the moves against the UOC by citing its alleged links to the Moscow Patriarchate and the need to protect Ukraine’s “spiritual independence” and deprive Russia of an opportunity to “to manipulate the spirituality of our people.”

READ MORE: Ukrainian Orthodox believers resist armed raid on their church (VIDEOS)

The persecution of the UOC intensified after the outbreak of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022. Several of its churches have been seized by force, and criminal cases have been opened against clerics. A law banning the activities of the UOC in Ukraine officially came into force in late September.