Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, four communities in the Lviv region have resigned from the UOC-Moscow Patriarchate and joined the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
In particular, the following communities joined the Orthodox Church of Ukraine: Holy Intercession Parish of Chervonohrad together with the abbot Archpriest Igor Derkach, Holy Resurrection New Athos Monastery in Lviv and its abbot Iov (Olshansky), Monastery of St. Onuphrius the Great. Mezhyhirya in the Turkiv region with Archimandrite Sevastyan (Derkach), as well as the Holy Dormition Parish from Rechytsa, Horodok OTG, where Archpriest Ivan Denkovych was appointed the new rector at the request of the community.
It will be recalled that on March 2, 2022, the clergy of the Lviv Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (MP) appealed to the ruling Bishop Metropolitan Filaret to declare complete autocephaly from the ROC at the Council of Bishops. The UOC (MP) leadership responded to the first collective appeal of the clergy of the whole diocese in Ukraine with a request to leave the structure of the ROC in silence.
“It is very unfortunate that the leadership of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate does not hear its priests and faithful who want to distance themselves forever from the ROC and the empire of hatred built by the Russian leadership. The change in the jurisdiction of these three communities is a testament to the conscious choice of their future, where there is no blessing of war. It should be understood that even if all the Bishops and priests of the UOC-MP stop praying for the service of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, the UOC-MP will continue to be subordinated to the ROC. Metropolitan Onufriy remains a permanent member of the Synod of the ROC. The church-wide separation of the UOC (MP) from the ROC is inevitable. You don’t need to discredit yourself, you need to make a decision immediately, “said Maksym Kozytskyi, head of the OVA.
“In 2018, a canonical structure was created, which is united with all the Universal Orthodoxy. It is called the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, headed by Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv and All Ukraine. We have decided together with you that our monastic community is coming under the protection of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. It was a well-considered and well-thought-out decision. I was in no hurry, I gave our church the opportunity to react somehow. I have spoken to many priests; many of my friends of priests who have served in Kyiv have already taken this step. I realized that there is nothing to procrastinate, there will still be one Local Orthodox Church in Ukraine, and our procrastination with you makes us collaborators and agents of Russia. And I want all of us to be free Orthodox Christians who glorify God, who love their state and pray for it, “said Abbot Iov (Olshansky) in a sermon to the community.