OCU has its own canonical territory, therefore all Orthodox parishes in the country fall within its jurisdiction, - Metropolitan Epifaniy

He emphasized that the OCU has its own canonical territory – these are the borders of Ukraine and therefore all Orthodox parishes within these borders fall within the jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, according to the OCU website.

"We have a great responsibility, so we have no right to rest on our laurels.

Unfortunately, not everyone has yet realized the reality that the Orthodox Church of Ukraine has its own canonical territory and all parishes in Ukraine belong to this Church. There is also a certain canonical anomaly when some do not want to accept this objective fact. However, it's only a matter of time. We have already been granted what we required, and we must work and pray to preserve and multiply it and pass it on to the next generations," the head of the OCU added.

"They shamed us, tried to erase our Church and cultural identity and destroy us with Holodomors. But with the help of God, our people survived and showed that we are a strong and hardy nation that is jointly developing its state and an independent local Church," Metropolitan Epifaniy said.