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# OCU Calls EU Membership the 'Obvious' Choice for Ukraine
- URL: https://uoj.news/news/ocu-calls-eu-membership-the-obvious-choice-for-ukraine/
- Published: 2026-07-16T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-25T16:08:16.000Z
- Description: The OCU's council presented Ukraine's European aspirations as both a political choice and a continuation of the nation's Christian heritage.
- Author: Tobias Straney
- Tags: #Category: News, OCU, European Union, Russia

**KYIV —** As reported by [UOJ-Ukraine](https://spzh.eu/en/news/94409-the-ocu-hierarchical-council-called-on-ukraine-to-join-the-eu?fbclid=IwdGRleATE93twZG9mA2ZkaWQWUKmxZGYOr-h8o9sHoZRJcw0WuSI562V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR5Lge-ODgeVBsLAAnUqgicS4N-SNsQ66mtscROR5sQdLrCMohVDL010HgInqw%5Faem%5FCU1ISEMD3zLJ6Rpl3XIs6Q), the Bishops’ Council of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) has [issued a message](https://www.pomisna.info/uk/vsi-novyny/poslannya-arhiyerejskogo-soboru-pravoslavnoyi-tserkvy-ukrayiny-2/) urging Ukrainians to continue supporting the country’s path toward membership in the European Union, presenting European integration as consistent with both Ukraine’s historical development and its future as an independent state.

Released July 15 from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the message states that, although "the European Union has many problems," it nevertheless provides an environment in which "one can freely preach the Gospel and profess the Orthodox Christian faith, not distorted by the heretical doctrine of the 'Russian world.'" The statement also describes Europe as "a space of freedom" where national, spiritual, and cultural identity can be preserved.

[![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/06/ocu-calls-eu-membership-the-obvious-choice-for-ukraine-image-e763f004f5af.jpg)On this topicEU Sanctions Metr. Tikhon of Simferopol and Crimea](https://uoj.news/news/eu-sanctions-metr-tikhon-of-simferopol-and-crimea/)

The council framed Ukraine's European aspirations within the broader context of the country's Christian history, arguing that the Baptism of Ukraine-Rus brought the nation into the community of Christian European states more than a millennium ago. The message further links the future of the OCU to the continued existence of "an independent, united, democratic Ukraine."

Concluding its appeal, the council declared: "Therefore, for us the choice is obvious **—** the Bishops' Council consistently supports the path chosen by our people of unity with the European democratic community."

Previously, the [UOJ reported](https://uoj.news/news/eu-drops-patr-kirill-from-proposed-russia-sanctions/) that the EU dropped Patr. Kirill from proposed Russia sanctions.