Romanian Orthodox Church seeks to establish a canonical branch in Ukraine’s territory
As reported by the official media of the Romanian Orthodox Church, among other things, the Holy Synod decided to unify Romanian Orthodox communities in Ukraine jurisdictionally under a religious structure called the "Romanian Orthodox Church in Ukraine" to bless, encourage, and support initiatives of Romanian Orthodox communities in Ukraine to restore communication with the Mother Church, the Romanian Patriarchate.
The Synod also confirmed that "all Romanian Orthodox clergy and their flocks from the Republic of Moldova returning to the Bessarabian Metropolis are canonical clergy and blessed faithful, and any disciplinary sanctions imposed on them on the basis of their membership in the Romanian Orthodox Church are considered invalid, according to Synod decision No. 8090 of December 19, 1992."
In addition, the Synod made decisions regarding the establishment of bishoprics for Romanian Orthodox believers in Great Britain, Ireland, and Iceland, as well as a number of other decisions concerning the internal life of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
It is worth noting that there are about a hundred Romanian-speaking Orthodox parishes within the UOC-MP, primarily in the Chernivtsi, Zakarpattia, and Odessa regions of Ukraine. Romanian-speaking parishes in Bukovyna have long adhered to the new Julian calendar.
Additionally, the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine established a separate vicariate with self-governing rights within the OCU for Romanian-speaking believers residing in Ukraine at its meeting on July 27, 2019.
