Chernihiv RMA reports on the number of UOC communities transferred to OCU

Chernihiv Regional Military Administration. Photo: RMA website

The Chernihiv Regional Military Administration (RMA) informed Suspilne that over the past seven years, 32 UOC (Ukrainian Orthodox Church) communities have "transferred" to the OCU (Orthodox Church of Ukraine).

Oleksiy Stepanenko, the head of the Department for Nationalities and Religions of the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Chernihiv RMA, stated that the dynamics of these transitions were uneven. In 2019 and 2020, only two religious communities transferred, and in 2021, there were no transitions at all. The record year was 2022 when 15 communities changed jurisdiction. In 2023, seven communities were re-registered with the OCU, and in 2024 – eight.

“We provide consultations to communities if they need it. We explain how to prepare the documents according to the law. But of course, we do not interfere in the process itself," Stepanenko assured.

There are currently 195 OCU parishes in the Chernihiv region. At the same time, the UOC still maintains a significant presence in the region – 255 communities are registered in the Nizhyn Eparchy, and 285 in the Chernihiv Eparchy.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Military Administrations announced the complete elimination of the UOC in those regions.

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