Local authorities in Bila Tserkva plan to consider the issue of transferring the Transfiguration Cathedral of the UOC to the structure of Dumenko at a session on June 29. But about a hundred believers gathered at the walls of the city council to declare their disagreement with the intention of the authorities.

In their video message, the parishioners noted that the shrine was restored by them after it was handed over to them in a dilapidated state.

“Everyone who grew up in this city remembers the condition of our cathedral when it was handed over to our community. There was a sports club, and there was even a latrine in the altar. The temple was stripped, without a dome, without a floor. We have a photo, people are still alive who raked and removed garbage from there with their own hands. Now our temple is in the best condition among the architectural monuments of the Kyiv region. Before the war, we had a commission that expressed gratitude to our sacristan Archimandrite Alexy for the fact that the cathedral is in such perfect condition,” the parishioners noted.

The believers also emphasized that they are carrying out large-scale social work: they feed the needy with hot lunches and dinners every day, supply them with clothes, help a large group of people who are struggling with alcohol and drug addiction, and organize classes for children with disabilities. A week ago, the parish collected and sent about 40 tons of humanitarian aid to the residents of the Kherson region, who suffered from the explosion of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station.

The appeal notes that according to the Constitution, “no religion in our country is a state religion, and government agencies do not have the right to give preference to any of the confessions.”

“Do not forget that we, your voters, have given you powers and positions. We are your employers, we pay taxes so that you receive salaries. And we ask you: why did you, our workers, rebel against us? Why do you want to disperse us? You are doing great harm to our city. When there is a war, when we need to unite, accumulate all forces, hug and warm each other, why split our society?” believers ask the authorities.