In Odesa region, 410 churches of the Moscow Patriarchate remain

There are 416 churches affiliated with the Moscow Patriarchate in the Odesa region. Most religious institutions are concentrated in Odesa

This is evidenced by the data of the interactive map Opendatabot, which shows the location of religious institutions and their affiliation according to state registers.

According to the monitoring service, there are 416 religious institutions in the Odesa region that have or may have a connection with the Moscow Patriarchate. The largest cluster - 134 facilities - is located directly in Odesa. Another 90 churches are located in the southern districts, near the coast. There are 39 buildings in the west of the region, 81 in the north, and 13 more churches in other communities. There are 34 more churches on the border with Mykolaiv region.

SCREENSHOT: Opportunitybot

The map also shows that some of these churches directly declare their affiliation with the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate, some of them were determined by the Ministry of Justice, others do not indicate their affiliation at all, and some communities have already moved to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

The map shows that the largest concentration of religious centers affiliated with the Moscow Patriarchate is in Odesa and suburban communities, while in remote parts of the region, the facilities are less densely distributed. The information is based on open registers and is updated in accordance with the decisions of religious communities and state bodies.

Communities of the UOC-MP that do not transfer to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine may be liquidated through the courts after the nine-month transition period. The State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience has the right to apply to the court to terminate the activities of religious organizations if they fail to comply with the requirements of the law within the established time frame. On August 20, 2024, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted in the second reading draft law No. 8371, which prohibits the activities of religious organizations affiliated with the Russian Federation in Ukraine.

Анна Бальчінос