UOC's foreign mission reports manipulations around its activities

The clergy and faithful of the UOC in Lisbon. December 25, 2025. Photo: FB page of the church

On February 6, 2026, in the city of Bari (Italy), the clergy of the Western European Vicariate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church adopted a document in which they outlined their position regarding the pastoral ministry of the UOC abroad and responded to accusations and manipulations being spread in the information space. The statement was published by the press service of the UOC DECR

The document notes that the foreign mission of the UOC was established by a decision of the Council on May 27, 2022, in response to the mass exodus of Ukrainian citizens abroad as a result of Russian military aggression. The Church emphasized that it could not leave its believers without spiritual care and therefore organized parishes to preserve their faith, language, culture, and Orthodox identity.

The Vicariate stated that all foreign parishes are subordinate to the Primate of the UOC, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine, and their clergy and founders are citizens of Ukraine.

"In some information materials directed against the UOC mission abroad, there is manipulation and artificial identification of the activities of UOC parishes with ROC parishes abroad. This does not correspond to reality, because the UOC acts independently and separately, regardless of any religious centers," the document states.

It is also indicated that services are performed mainly in churches provided by other denominations, or in adapted premises: "We are grateful to Christians of other denominations for such assistance."

The UOC emphasized that foreign parishes focus on pastoral care for Ukrainians affected by the war, maintain contact with Ukraine, provide humanitarian aid, help the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and conduct spiritual-educational and cultural work, rejecting accusations of spreading any Russian narratives.

"No Russian narratives are spread in our communities, as is sometimes slanderously written in the information space. We are Ukrainians, our believers are Ukrainians who suffered from the war and were forced to leave their homes as a result of the Russian attack on Ukraine," the clergy noted.

As the UOJ reported, on February 5-6, 2026, the next annual assembly of the Western European Vicariate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was held in the Italian city of Bari, with the blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry.

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