The OCU Hierarchical Council Called on Ukraine to Join the EU

The OCU in the Refectory Cathedral of the Lavra. Photo: OCU

On July 15, 2026, the hierarchical council of the OCU published from the seized Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra a message calling on Ukrainians to join the European Union.

The document states that "the European Union has many problems, but in it one can freely preach the Gospel and profess the Orthodox Christian faith, not distorted by the heretical doctrine of the 'Russian world.'"

"Europe, especially in comparison with Russia and its satellites, remains a space of freedom where one can preserve and protect one's national, spiritual, and cultural identity," the text states.

Why the OCU speaks of Russia at all in the context of EU accession is not clarified in the message.

"Therefore, the choice is obvious for us — the Hierarchical Council consistently supports the path of unity with the European democratic community chosen by our people," the document reads.

Earlier, the SPJ reported that, according to the head of the SSetnpfc Yelensky, the AUCCRO is still against LGBT, but for the sake of the EU they will make compromises.

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