OCU eparchy says 90% of “transferred” communities were left without priests

“Clergy” of the OCU Khmelnytskyi Eparchy. Photo: vsim.ua

The OCU Khmelnytskyi Eparchy has acknowledged that after the mass “transfers” of UOC communities, most of them were left without their priests, Vsim.ua reports.

According to the eparchy’s spokesman, “Archpriest” Zakhariy Zaliznyi, only about 10% of communities transferred to the OCU together with their rectors. As a result, parishes left without clergy had to be assigned priests who were already serving other churches.

The OCU Khmelnytskyi Eparchy currently has more than 500 parishes and about 220 clerics. The structure itself acknowledges that each priest serves an average of two to three churches, as well as affiliated communities in settlements without churches of their own.

At the same time, the number of UOC clergy transferring to the OCU continues to decline. In 2026, only one rector transferred to the Khmelnytskyi Eparchy together with his parishioners. The structure is trying to make up for the shortage of clergy with graduates of its theological schools, describing Khmelnytskyi Region as one of the largest “employers” of young priests.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that an OCU cleric criticized a concert at the Lavra that had been blessed by Epifaniy.

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