The Synod of the OCU has summoned the self-proclaimed leaders of the UOC-KP to a church court
The Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) has officially condemned the uncanonical activities of a group of individuals who are illegally using the name “Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate.”
The OCU is the sole legitimate successor to the UOC-KP, and the unauthorized appropriation of this name by third parties violates church order.
Metropolitan Yevstratiy (Zoria), spokesperson for the Kyiv Metropolis of the OCU, announced that official legal proceedings have been initiated against a number of former clergy members.
These include Archimandrite Nikodim (Volodymyr Kobzar), Archimandrite Daniel (Dmytro Kudybin), Hegumen Michael (Mykola Kovalyuk), and Hieromonk Nikon (Yuriy Hrablyuk).
According to the metropolitan, these individuals “unjustifiably appropriated episcopal titles for themselves and committed numerous other publicly attested crimes against canonical order and church unity.”
In accordance with the Synod’s decision of 2022, they have been summoned to provide explanations at a meeting to be held in May 2026.
The Synod separately emphasized that any attempts to confer the episcopal rank on behalf of the dissolved UOC-KP after December 15, 2018, have no legal or spiritual validity.
This applies to cases carried out without the consent and blessing of the current Primate of the OCU.
The Church emphasized the uncompromising nature of this issue: “Such individuals are not bishops and will never be recognized in the future.” This decision is aimed at protecting the faithful from deception and preserving the integrity of the Orthodox community in Ukraine.
It has been officially confirmed that the former clergymen, Monk Ioasaf (Shibaev), Monk Filaret (Panku), Monk Peter (Moskalov), and Monk Andriy (Marutsaka), were defrocked for gross violations.
A similar decision was made regarding the layperson Bohdan Zgoba for causing significant harm to the interests of the Church.
The OCU also commented on the participation of foreign representatives of Greek Old Calendarist communities, Auxentios Marinis and George Kallis.
Although they call themselves “bishops of the UOC-KP,” they have never belonged to this structure and are subject exclusively to the jurisdiction of the Church of Greece.
As a reminder, Patriarch Filaret of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine has passed away.
The number of parishes that have transferred to the OCU since 2022 has also been announced.
