State Ethnopolitics expert: UOC believers are no less than 5-6 million
The cross procession of the UOC in Kyiv in 2021, attended by 350 thousand believers. Photo: UOJ
Religionist and expert of the State Ethnopolitics Service Liudmyla Filipovych told the resource "Apostrophe" that at least 5-6 million people identify themselves as members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
"There are no exact statistics on the number of believers, but, according to our data, in Ukraine parishioners of the UOC-MP account for no less than than 5-6 million, young and old," said Filipovych.
Commenting on the SBU statements about open criminal cases against clerics of the UOC, she said that as a percentage of the total number of clerics of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, it is not much.
"60 priests out of 12,000 is certainly not much. But this does not mean that the SBU is working badly," Filipovych said and expressed confidence that many clerics are charged under several articles at once.
As earlier reported, according to the ex-advisor to the head of the OP Arestovych, UOC believers are 6 million, and the authorities behave "like idiots" towards them.
Read also
OCU activist admits breaking into UOC church in Sloviansk
Oleksandr Onyshchenko said that the OCU held its first "service" at the Seraphim Church, which had previously been broken into by forcing the locks and doors.
Archimandrite Ioustinos, longtime keeper of Jacob's Well, dies in Jordan
Archimandrite Ioustinos (Mamallos), the keeper of Jacob's Well in Nablus, has died after a prolonged illness.
Pilgrim group from Kyiv Theological Seminary visits Mount Athos
KTS students are making a pilgrimage to the holy sites of Romania, Greece, Mount Athos and Italy.
UOC cathedral celebrates its patronal feast in Ternopil
The service in the cathedral of the Holy Martyrs Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia was led by Metropolitan Serhii of Ternopil, concelebrated by four hierarchs.
MinCulture marks centenary of Soviet-era reserve at Lavra's Refectory Church
Representatives of the Ministry of Culture presented awards to the Reserve's employees on the occasion of the anniversary at the Refectory Church of the Lavra.
Conference to mark 1700th anniversary of Christianity adoption held in Georgia
In Georgia, representatives of the Church and the state noted the defining role of Christianity in the country's cultural development.