UOC-KP hierarch calls illegal the OCU's decision to defrock Nikodymyr Kobzar

The hierarch of the UOC-KP, Joasaph Shibaev, strongly condemned the actions of the OCU leadership. He called the decision to «defrock» the head of the UOC-KP, Nikodim Kobzar, and other representatives of the organization as having no canonical force and legally null and void.

On his Facebook account, Hierarch Joasaph Shibaev stated that the current leadership of the OCU had reached power illegally, having deceived Filaret Denisenko and violated the resolutions of the «Bishops’ Council». According to Shibaev, the initial agreements provided for Filaret to retain the primacy in the management of the newly created organization until his death, but these conditions were violated during the «usurpation of church power.»

In his publication, Shibaev emphasizes that the independent existence of the «Kyiv Patriarchate» is based on the Canon Law of the Orthodox Church. He argues that by going beyond the legal framework, the leadership of the OCU has deprived its actions of legitimacy. Summarizing his position, Shibaev compared the significance of the OCU’s resolutions to «the talk of empty women at a well,» insisting that all personnel and disciplinary decisions of this structure regarding representatives of the UOC-KP are invalid.

Earlier, the Synod of the OCU under the leadership of Epiphany Dumenko decided to defrock the head of the UOC-KP, Nikodym Kobzar, and a number of other representatives of the organization. The OCU characterized the activities of the Kyiv Patriarchate as an attempt to split and called on supporters to ignore any of their initiatives.