Heads of three dozen branches of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine are outraged by decisions from Moscow

A number of clergymen of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), including priests from Odesa region, have expressed outrage at the decisions of the Russian Orthodox Church Synod on personnel policy in the temporarily occupied territory.

The corresponding appeal, signed by 33 metropolitans, archbishops and bishops, was published by the press service of the Odesa Diocese of the UOC.

Among the signatories:

• Metropolitan Agafangel of Odesa and Izmail.
• Archbishop Diodor of Yuzhne.
• Archbishop Victor of Artsyz.
• Archbishop Sergiy of Bolgrad.
• Bishop Alipiy of Tarutino.
• Bishop Anastasios of Ovidiopol.

The signatory priests call the Ukrainian territories currently under Russian control temporarily occupied and demand that the Russian Synod respect jurisdictional boundaries, warning against any attempts by one church to take control of the territory of another.

The fact is that the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church decided to dismiss Metropolitan Hilarion of Donetsk and Mariupol from the management of the Donetsk Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and retire him without asking the leaders of the UOC, and before that, several priests in other occupied territories were also dismissed.

Earlier, Archpriest Theodore Orobets of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine said on the air of Intent.Insight that the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is ready to accept all parishes that are part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), but with some conditions. He noted that negotiations should be conducted with everyone, but the final decision will be made by the synod and those priests who worked for the aggressor country will definitely not be accepted.

The law banning the activities of religious institutions with ties to the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine came into force on September 23, so now religious communities have nine months to completely sever ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.

In August, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law banning the activities of religious organizations associated with Russia in Ukraine.

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the relevant law in the second reading on August 20, 2024. The day before, the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (AUCCRO) supported the parliamentary initiative to ban the activities of religious organizations affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church.

On October 19, 2023, the Verkhovna Rada supported in the first reading Bill No. 8371 on the ban on religious organizations affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church. In particular, it banned the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate).

Кирило Бойко