The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has declared full autonomy and independence. The church noted the decision follows disagreements with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia regarding Russia’s actions in Ukraine. A Synod meeting of bishops, priests, and laity was convened in mid-May to address the situation.
According to the UOC, the council confirmed the church’s complete self-governance by adopting amendments to its Charter on the governance of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
The clergy urged both Russian and Ukrainian authorities to resume negotiations and to pursue a constructive path to stop the bloodshed. They argued that ongoing hostilities violate the commandment against killing.
The UOC also invited the separatist Ukrainian Orthodox Church to continue dialogue. The council acknowledged that the split within Ukrainian Orthodoxy is a painful wound for the church, but remained hopeful that dialogue could resume even in harsh conditions.
For dialogue to move forward, OCU representatives are urged to halt church seizures and the forced transfer of UOC congregations, the organization stated.
The UOC highlighted what it described as the OCU’s de facto dependence on the Patriarchate of Constantinople and asserted that the OCU’s canonical status falls short of the freedoms outlined in the UOC statute.
“The Russian Orthodox Church prays for unity”
Vladimir Legoyda, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Synodal Department for Church, Society and Media Relations, said the Russian Church faces pressure related to the UOC and cannot comment in detail on its decisions. He noted that no official requests had been received from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and that the church could not respond to media reports. He expressed prayers for unity within the Russian Orthodox Church, for peace, and for an end to bloodshed, as reported by DECR News.
The priest stressed that the UOC is under significant pressure, making it highly irresponsible to comment on its decisions at this time.
Archpriest Andrey Novikov, formerly a member of the Synodal Biblical Theological Commission and the Inter-Council Presence of the Moscow Patriarchate, warned that a move toward autocephaly could trigger a new division. He argued that a secession would risk turning the UOC into a politically motivated instrument for the regime, and could echo past divisions within the church. He also claimed that such a decision would push the church toward greater isolation from canonical norms.
Novikov cautioned that if the Kiev assembly ignores the will of many UOC bishops and pushes for autocephaly, the move could lead to expulsion from the canonical community. He warned that those responsible could face rapid liquidation, with the UOC acting independently, while external parties such as the SBU might not participate in such ceremonies.
“A condemnation for the fullness of Orthodoxy”
Following Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, several OCU clergy members, particularly in western Ukraine, signed statements condemning Patriarch Kirill and urging the UOC to detach from Moscow’s patriarchate. Theday’s actions included a call to appeal to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to address Kirill’s leadership.
Epiphanius, head of the OCU, referenced his Easter correspondence, noting that the fullness of Orthodoxy could condemn Kirill for supporting the war against Ukraine. He spoke of seeking canonical accountability and discussed bringing Kirill before the ecclesial authorities to deprive him of his throne, according to statements attributed to him. A March 22 bill proposed to ban ROC activities on Ukrainian soil, with implications for the UOC’s property holdings, including major monasteries such as Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Pochaev Lavra, and Svyatogorsk Lavra, potentially transferring them to state ownership.
In Ukraine, the UOC is the nation’s largest religious organization, comprising roughly 13,000 parishes across 53 dioceses under the Moscow Patriarchate. By comparison, the OCU operates about 8,000 parishes nationwide. The OCU emerged in 2018 through a merger of two unrecognized bodies and subsequently gained autocephaly from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, only to experience a rupture with ROC, Constantinople, and other local churches.