Ukrainian MFA claims ROC forcibly subordinates UOC communities

Metropolitan Hilarion of Donetsk was retired by the ROC on October 24, 2024. Photo: UOJ

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated on January 10 that religious communities remaining in the temporarily occupied territories have been forcibly subordinated to the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), reports the MFA website mfa.gov.ua.

“Numerous Christian religious communities within the temporarily occupied territories have been forcibly compelled to submit to the de jure ‘religious’ organization, the Russian Orthodox Church, which in reality serves as an instrument of Russian state power,” the MFA said, likely referring to several dioceses of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).

The statement also noted that over 630 places of worship and religious sites in Ukraine have been destroyed or damaged by shelling. According to reports, the majority of these belong to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Previously, the UOJ published reflections on the autonomy of the UOC and the removal of the Donetsk Metropolitan.

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