Last year, 21 religious communities in the Zhytomyr region left UOC-MP to join OCU

02 January, 16:33

In 2024, 21 religious communities in the Zhytomyr region transferred from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. There is an ongoing trend of changing one's denomination, although it is less consistent than in the previous two years.

Oleksandr Pyvovarsky, chief specialist of the Department of Cultural Heritage and Religion Protection of the Culture and Tourism Department of the Zhytomyr Regional Military Administration, stated this in a commentary to Suspilne Zhytomyr.

According to Pyvovarsky, in 2024, 21 religious communities officially registered documents with the Zhytomyr Regional Military Administration on the transition from the UOC-MP to the OCU. In 2022, representatives of 37 religious communities did so, and in 2023 - 44.

“There is a general tendency to join the OCU, while the prospects of the UOC in spiritual unity with the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine are vague. People are constantly encouraged to join the OCU by what is happening in the east of our country - the mass collaboration of priests of the Moscow Patriarchate blessing Russian soldiers to kill Ukrainians. According to Viktor Yelensky, head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience: “How many must be killed for people to understand what the Moscow Patriarchate truly is?”

Tags: #The transition of Church communities to OCU