UOC Not Part of Moscow Patriarchate – Official

Oleksandr Pyvovarskyi. Source: oda.zht.gov.ua

KYIV — The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) is not legally affiliated with the Moscow Patriarchate, according to Oleksandr Pyvovarskyi, chief specialist of the Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage and Religions within the Zhytomyr Regional Military Administration’s Department of Culture and Tourism, as reported by Suspilne.

Commenting on the reported transitions of UOC communities to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Pyvovarskyi described the UOC as being “in spiritual unity with the Moscow Patriarchate.”

“There’s often confusion among people. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is in spiritual unity with the Moscow Patriarchate, but you won’t find such a designation in the Unified State Register, as ‘in unity’ refers to a spiritual-canonical, theological connection,” Pyvovarskyi clarified. He further emphasized that “legally, this Church is not part of the Moscow Patriarchate, which is based in Moscow.”

He noted that the reference to the Moscow Patriarchate is used with the UOC “for convenience of identification.”

As previously reported by the UOJ, the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) has expressed support for continuing the persecution of the UOC.

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