In the city in Cherkasy region, all the churches were transferred to the OCU

In Smila, Cherkasy region, there are no longer any churches subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate. All local churches, along with their clergy, have transitioned to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

The priest who came to serve from the Moscow Patriarchate was driven out by the entire community, as reported by Channel 5.

Initially, the priests of the first four churches in Smila expressed their willingness to transition to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine with the support of the community. However, their decision was not approved by the UOC-MP diocese, and they sent their own priest. He intended to perform his duties and refused to leave the church, so the community had to assist him in leaving.

"For me, as a parishioner, it was important to see how our priests would react and how our church would react because we are Ukrainians, on our Ukrainian land. These people are ours, everything is ours, but not all parishioners decided to switch to the OCU, despite the fact that Kirill blessed the war," said parishioner Natalia Borschuk.

According to the channel's report, Smila became the first city in Cherkasy region where they got rid of Moscow priests. However, the transitional period proved to be difficult for some believers.

"Unfortunately, this agitation that is still ongoing discredits the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. It has yielded results. The parish has divided, but gradually new people are coming, they are drawn to it, people are happy to hear the word of God in their native language, understand what it is about, and they like it," said Father Mykolai, the rector of St. Pokrovsky Cathedral in Smila.

The transition of churches from the Moscow Patriarchate to the OCU in Cherkasy region is proceeding rather slowly. About sixty churches have expressed their willingness to transition, while around two hundred remain under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate. Metropolitan Cherkasy and Chyhyryn Ioan believes it's just a matter of time and is already preparing clergy to serve in Ukrainian churches.