Ukrainian Orthodox Church declares independence from Moscow
May 21, 2025
» Continue to this story on UOC [Ukrainian]
CWN Editor's Note: Metropolitan Onufry, the primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), has announced unambiguously that “we are no longer part of the Moscow patriarchate.”
The UOC, traditionally tied to the Russian Orthodox Church, has moved steadily toward independence since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Metropolitan Onufry remarked that Russian Patriarch Kirill “completely sided with the Russian political leadership,” to the detriment of the people of Ukraine.
The UOC leader says that the group now “independently resolves all issues of its internal and external life,” and asks other Orthodox churches to accept the UOC as a self-governing body independent of Moscow—a request that the Russian Orthodox patriarchate will vigorously oppose.
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