Vatican opposes UOC ban

A meeting in the Vatican. Photo: DESS press service
On November 18, 2025, in Vatican, the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches of the RCC, Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, received the Ukrainian delegation represented by the DESS head, V. Yelensky, and the Ambassador of Ukraine to the Vatican, Andriy Yurash, reports DESS.
According to the press service of the State Ethnopolitics Service, the cardinal noted that he agrees with the need for fair punishment of individuals, including the clerics who violate state laws or collaborate with occupiers, but emphasized that he "does not consider it possible to impose collective punishments on religious associations".
In response, Yelensky assured Gugerotti that discussing collective punishment for the entire UOC "is not possible".
Earlier, the UOJ wrote that in the USA, a delegation of Orthodox Churches discussed the UOC protection with a congresswoman.
Read also
Romanian Church clerics concelebrate at patronal feast in Verkhni Petrivtsi
Romanian Church and UOC clergy concelebrate at the parish's patronal feast of St. Paraskeva.
Patriarch Theophilos expresses readiness to mediate in Ukraine-Russia war
Jerusalem Patriarch calls peacemaking a spiritual duty of religious leaders.
Cherkasy ruling bishop details authorities’ plan to take over UOC cathedral
Metropolitan Theodosiy says authorities and the OCU are seeking to legalize the cathedral seizure in three steps: canceling its ownership registration, declaring it ownerless, and transferring it through the courts.
Dnipropetrovsk metropolitan offers condolences after deadly strike
Metropolitan Ireney expressed condolences to the families of those killed in the strike on Dnipro railway station and called for prayers for the wounded.
TRC officers beat and abduct UOC archimandrite in Kharkiv
Military recruitment officers and police allegedly abducted Archimandrite Volodymyr (Subbota), beating him and parishioners who tried to protect the monk.
Volyn Eparchy bids farewell to fallen soldier, son of UOC priest
Archbishop Athanasiy of Kamin-Kashyrskyi officiated at the funeral of Archpriest Feodor Sihnaievskyi’s son, who was killed in the war.