UOC hierarch appeals to local Churches over church crisis in Ukraine

Metropolitan Luke. Photo: Zaporizhia Eparchy

Metropolitan Luke of Zaporizhzhia and Melitopol sent an appeal to the hierarchs of the local Orthodox Churches, declaring a deep religious crisis following the granting of the Tomos to the OCU by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The text of the appeal was published by the Greek site Romfea on June 30, 2025.

In the letter, the metropolitan described instances of persecution, violence, and church seizures against the UOC and called on the local Churches for a coordinated response both within ecclesiastical circles and on international platforms to protect the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and restore unity.

The publication notes that in the letter, Metropolitan Luka reminded that in January 2019, Patriarch Bartholomew signed the Tomos of autocephaly for the newly created structure "Orthodox Church of Ukraine". This decision, as the hierarch emphasizes, was made against the will of millions of believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the warnings of many local Churches.

According to the UOC hierarch, these actions have triggered a crisis in the church life of Ukraine, which has spread throughout the entire Orthodox community. At the same time, the Ecumenical Patriarchate ignores teh developments.

Metropolitan Luke reports that supporters of the OCU have seized over 1,000 churches, while clergy and believers of the canonical Church face attacks and injuries. He mentions an incident in Cherkasy, where Metropolitan Theodosiy was injured during a seizure; and a case in Chernivtsi in June 2025, when Metropolitan Meletiy and clergy were seriously injured during an attempted takeover of the cathedral.

"Violence carried out by Epifaniy Dumenko’s structure contradicts not only the dogmas of the Orthodox Church but also the spirit of our Orthodox faith. We would be grateful if you could communicate information about our situation regarding the need to stop uncanonical and Gospel-contradicting actions both to the hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (through petitions, personal communication, etc.) and to the Primates and members of the Synods of the Churches!” the appeal reads.

In conclusion, the metropolitan calls on the hierarchs of the local Churches to join forces with other religious organizations on the international stage, including participation in the work of the UN Human Rights Council and the OSCE, to protect religious freedoms.

As earlier reported by the UOJ, the court dismissed the lawsuit of Metropolitan Luke against the mayor of Cherkasy.

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