Ministry of Culture confirms UOC has almost twice as many parishes as OCU
His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry, Primate of the UOC, and Sergei Dumenko, head of the OCU. Photo: president.gov.ua
In Ukraine, there are 7,097 religious organizations belonging to the OCU structure, and 12,410 – of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This is stated in the response of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy received on December 28, 2020, to the request of Radio Liberty.
“For the conduct of divine services, the religious organizations of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine used 5299 cult and prayer buildings: 3673 religious buildings and 1626 rooms adapted for prayer. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, in unity with the Moscow Patriarchate, numbered 12,410 religious organizations, which had in their use 11,157 religious and adapted for prayer buildings, including 7804 religious buildings and 3353 rooms adapted for prayer,” the resource quotes the Ministry of Culture.
The ministry also noted that they do not have data on the activities of religious structures operating in the Crimea and in the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions not controlled by Ukraine.
As Radio Liberty clarifies, the statistical report referred to in the ministry contains data as of 01.01.2020, which were first made public in order No. 1657 of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine dated 14.04.2020.
As reported, earlier Epiphany Dumenko called the OCU the largest religious organization in Ukraine.
Read also
Priests and laity of Rivne Eparchy donate blood for children with cancer
In Rivne, the UOC clergy and laity have donated blood for children undergoing treatment for cancer.
Kyiv seminary students meet with People’s Artist Larisa Kadochnikova
Students of Kyiv’s theological schools spoke with the legend of Ukrainian cinema, who shared her memories of filming "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors".
Bancheny Monastery reports provocation
The UOC monastery in Bancheny has reported a provocation by unidentified individuals.
Romanian Church to hold joint prayer for peace in Ukraine
On the fourth anniversary of the beginning of the war in Ukraine, special prayers for an end to the hostility will be offered in all churches of the Romanian Patriarchate, both in the country and abroad.
Armenian bishops call on authorities to stop Church persecution
At a meeting in Austria, hierarchs of the Armenian Apostolic Church reaffirmed their faithfulness to Catholicos Karekin II of All Armenians and called on the authorities to stop the persecution of the clergy.
Italian media: Ukrainian authorities persecute the country’s largest confession
The Italian outlet L’Identità reported on mass searches, the arrests of clergy, and the ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which it describes as the largest Church in Ukraine.