OCU announces that it has secured the name "UOC-KP" and rights to St. Volodymyr's Cathedral

The OCU has officially announced the transfer of rights to the brand and property of the Kyiv Patriarchate under its control. According to the organization’s press service, the name “Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate” is now an additional official name of the OCU, and St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral in Kyiv has been granted the status of the structure’s second cathedral.

The official statement of the OCU was published on April 1, 2026. The document states that after the death of Filaret Denisenko, all rights to the heritage of the Kyiv Patriarchate were finally transferred to the OCU. Epiphany Dumenko’s structure emphasized that the names “UOC-KP” and “Kyiv Patriarchate of the UOC-KP” are officially assigned to them as “additional official names” and warned of the prohibition of their use by persons who do not have special permission.

In addition to naming rights, the OCU claimed ownership of a number of significant real estate properties. The Patriarchal Residence, located on Chykalenko Street (formerly Pushkinska Street), was transferred to the direct management of the Kyiv Metropolis. In addition, St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral has now been officially designated as the second cathedral of the head of the OCU, along with St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral.

At the same time, it is important to note the inconsistency of this initiative with the founding documents of the organization. In the text of the Tomos of the OCU, the name “UOC-KP” is not mentioned – the structure appears there exclusively as the “Holy Church of Ukraine”. Earlier it was also reported that the leadership of the OCU has already taken actual control of the building of the former Patriarchate of the UOC-KP.

As reported, an acute conflict broke out between the OCU and the UOC-KP over the right to conduct the burial of the deceased Filaret Denisenko. Representatives of the UOC-KP accused their opponents of “raiding” the body and violating the last will of the late head of the Kyiv Patriarchate, according to which he was to be buried in St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral in Kyiv.