UOC-KP head: Authorities are turning OCU into state church

UOC-KP head Nikodym Kobzar. Photo: Patriarch Nikodym of Kyiv Telegram channel

On October 10, 2026, Nikodym, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP), accused Ukrainian authorities of effectively establishing a state church by giving preferential support to the OCU. He made the remarks in an interview with the Patriot newspaper.

According to Nikodym, the authorities’ stated desire for church unity is at odds with their actions. “I can see that some kind of state church is being created,” he said. The UOC-KP head claimed that local officials themselves had told him they were instructed to support only the OCU, while other denominations received no such backing.

Nikodym also argued that the OCU’s existence depends on government support. “It exists only thanks to the support of the state authorities,” he said, expressing his belief that the organization would be significantly weakened without it. In his view, favoring one denomination also harms the country itself. “Such a policy only weakens our state,” he stated.

Instead, the Kyiv Patriarchate head called for efforts to unite the various branches of Ukrainian Orthodoxy. He advocated the creation of a single church structure governed as a patriarchate and urged Orthodox believers to “put aside their divisions.”

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the UOC-KP head had accused the OCU of hacking its social media accounts.

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