Budanov on parishes transferring from the UOC to the OCU: this cannot be resolved by force
Budanov made these remarks during a briefing at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine.
Commenting on the situation in Zakarpattia, where communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church are not transferring to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Kirill Budanov emphasised that in Ukraine the state is separate from the church. That is precisely why, in his words, pressure cannot be exerted on such processes.
He stated outright that “coercion” in spiritual matters has never yielded results. In his view, events should not be forced here, and decisions must develop naturally.
Separately, Budanov described the use of the prefix “MP” in relation to the UOC as manipulation.
The issue has come to the fore again against the backdrop of the wave of parishes switching from the UOC to the OCU, which was particularly active in early 2019 following the establishment of the OCU, as well as in the spring of 2022 after Russia’s full-scale invasion, but has now almost petered out. Whereas at that time there were over a hundred transfers every month, now, according to available estimates, only isolated cases are occurring.
At the same time, the UOC has repeatedly stated that some of these transfers took place with the assistance of central or local authorities, and also involved the use of violence.
The Primate of the UOC, Metropolitan Onufriy, had previously condemned Patriarch Kirill for supporting Russian aggression and emphasised that the UOC is completely independent of the Russian Orthodox Church.
In August 2025, the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience recognised the UOC as affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church. The UOC is challenging this decision in the courts.
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