Photo: pomisna.info
Since the beginning of the full-scale russian aggression against Ukraine, 50 parishes switched from the Moscow Patriarchate to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and almost 100 others are doing so.
This was announced by the Metropolitan of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Epiphanius, during the national telethon and reported by Ukrinform.
"In recent days, we start seeing a wave of parishes switching from the Russian Orthodox Church to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. In recent days we've finalized 50 switchovers. Almost 100 other parishes have already made their decisions and are in the process. Thus, many Ukrainians who have been living a spiritual lie until now, started opening their eyes. Parish after parish, all around Ukraine, in every region, not only in the West, but in the Center, East and South," said Epiphanius.
He said that every day OCU gets information about parishes that decide to make the switch, organize the vote and confirm their decision to switch.
"According to the law, each parish can change its jurisdiction. I am calling other parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate to make the right decisions, not to remain silent, to join the recognized orthodox church," said the Metropolitan.
Earlier, the OCU Synod appealed to the clergy and the laypeople of the parishes of Moscow Patriarchate to unite with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. On March 26 it was announced that 28 parishes in 9 regions switched to the OCU since the war began.
The local Orthodox Church of Ukraine was created during the Unification council on December 15, 2018, in Saint-Sophia of Kyiv. Metropolis Epiphanius was elected as its primate. Epiphanius received the Tomos of autocephaly from Patriarch Bartholomew in Constantinople (Istambul - translator's note) on January 6, 2019.
OCU became the fifteenth national Orthodox church in the world. Besides the Ecumenical Patriarchate, it received official recognition from the Church of Greece, Alexandria and Cyprus. Several other churches did a de-facto recognition.
As of January 6, 2022, 700 parishes switched from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.