UOC-KP appoints "bishop" for Czech Republic

"Patriarch" Nykodym of the UOC-KP (right) with the new "bishop". Photo: Facebook page of the UOC-KP

On April 25, 2026, representatives of the UOC-KP appointed a "bishop" for parishes in the Czech Republic. As reported by the UOJ in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, "archimandrite" Yevhenii Sigizmund Freymann became the new "patriarchal vicar" in the city of Teplice.

On April 26, Freymann was "ordained" as "Bishop of Teplice". The ceremony was conducted by "Patriarch" Nykodym and "Bishop of Boryspil" Yevhenii. Freymann himself is the abbot of the monastery of Saints Constantine and Helena in Teplice, which previously joined the Kyiv Patriarchate.

It should be recalled on April 16, Nykodym accepted under his jurisdiction a group of individuals operating in the Czech Republic. Representatives of the communities submitted the appropriate statements in which they recognized him as their head. Members of the association explained their move by the Ukrainian diaspora’s desire to maintain unity with the UOC-KP.

However, the activities of this group in the Czech Republic face legal and canonical obstacles. In the registry of the Czech Ministry of Culture, which records registered religious communities, there is no entry for the UOC-KP.

Previously, the UOJ reported that the UOC-KP called the OCU a "structure without canonical succession".

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