Moscow Patriarchate condemns Ukrainian seizure of Russian Orthodox parish
June 03, 2025
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CWN Editor's Note: The Moscow Patriarchate’s statement describes the members of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine as “schismatics.”
Until 2018, Ukraine’s Orthodox faithful were divided into the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kiev Patriarchate), and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, with only the first canonically recognized by other Orthodox churches.
In 2018, the latter two bodies united to form the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, who holds a primacy of honor among the Orthodox churches, granted canonical recognition to the OCU in 2019—a decision condemned by the Russian Orthodox Church.
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