Drabynko visits Brno church whose rector previously concelebrated with OCU

Drabynko in the Czech Republic. To his left is Fr. Raphael Moravský. Photo: UOJ in the Czech Republic

On December 9, 2025, Metropolitan Alexander Drabynko of the OCU visited the Church of St. Wenceslaus the Martyr in Brno, Czech Republic, where he was welcomed by the current rector, Archpriest Raphael Moravský, the UOJ in the Czech Republic reports.

According to the Czech outlet, Drabynko prayed in the church and signed the Gospel book placed on the altar.

The visit drew attention because the OCU is not officially recognized canonically by the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia.

As UOJ discovered, the church Drabynko visited had previously been at the center of a conflict. At the time, Auxiliary Bishop Isaiah (Slaninka) – now the ruling hierarch – who promotes the interests of Constantinople and had concelebrated with the OCU in Kyiv.

The parish community under its former rector, Archpriest Josef Fejsák, was forced out and now rents another space for worship.

The new rector, Raphael Moravský, appointed by Bishop Isaiah, concelebrates with the OCU just as Isaiah does. On December 14, 2024, during the OCU delegation’s visit to Finland for the enthronement of the new Primate of the Finnish Orthodox Church, Moravský concelebrated with “Archbishop” Agapit at the Holy Trinity Church in Helsinki. This was reported on the official OCU website.

Thus, a priest of the Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, despite his Church’s official non-recognition of the OCU, maintains liturgical communion with representatives of Dumenko’s structure.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Holy Synod of the Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia expressed concern about the persecution of the UOC.

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