MP Kniazhytsky сomplains that "very few" UOC communities have joined OCU

Mykola Kniazhytsky. Photo: Espreso

Mykola Kniazhytsky, a member of parliament from the “European Solidarity” party, stated in a comment to Espreso that the majority of Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) parishes have chosen not to join the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), despite the adoption of the anti-church Law No. 3894, which effectively bans the UOC.

According to him, this is due to the government’s delay in adopting the subordinate regulations necessary to implement the law.

“Unfortunately, 90% haven’t transitioned. The subordinate acts required to ban churches that maintain ties with the Moscow Patriarchate – a ban that is supposed to take effect on May 20 – were only approved by the Cabinet of Ministers a few days ago,” Kniazhytsky claimed.

He praised the Lviv region, where authorities reported the “closure” of 14 out of 17 UOC parishes, with the remaining 3 transferred to the OCU. “In Zaporizhzhia, not a single parish has transitioned. In central Ukraine, out of nearly a thousand parishes, only dozens have switched. Extremely few,” the MP said.

According to him, the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, now “having all the necessary tools at its disposal, must begin working and bring the field into compliance with the law as soon as possible.”

“In some cases this will require court proceedings, in others a simple order will suffice, and in some they will act independently. All mechanisms are now in place, and the law permits this starting from May 20,” said the European Solidarity MP.

As previously reported by the UOJ, on May 9, 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the procedure for conducting assessments of religious organizations to determine their affiliation with foreign religious entities whose activities are banned in Ukraine.

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