Bremer: Majority of Ukrainian refugees abroad belong to the UOC

Pochaiv UOC Community in Paris. Photo: Facebook page of the parish

Thomas Bremer, a professor of theology at the University of Münster, published an article on the Katholisch platform titled "Ukraine Takes Action Against Its Largest Church – Now Even Abroad," in which he analyzed the activities of the UOC Diaspora.

He noted that there are about a hundred UOC communities in Europe, with 40 of them located in Germany. According to Bremer, most of these parishes are very large.

He emphasized that after Russia's invasion, the UOC began establishing communities abroad in 2022, declaring its independence from the Russian Orthodox Church.

"Many refugees come from the east and south of the country, where Russian attacks are the most intense. There are relatively few believers of the OCU and the Greek Catholic Church in these regions, so the majority of Ukrainian refugees who are Orthodox belong to the UOC," the professor wrote.

He stated that despite numerous organizational challenges, UOC church services abroad are well attended.

"In some communities, more than a hundred believers regularly attend church services, and on holidays, their number increases significantly," Bremer wrote. He further noted that "it is quite logical that the Ukrainian state, in its struggle against the UOC, has now turned its attention to overseas communities."

Earlier, the UOJ reported that S. Shevchuk called on the Ukrainian authorities to take action against UOC communities abroad.

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