Heads of UOC-KP parishes in the United States dismissed and "banned from ministry"

The hierarch of the UOC-KP in the United States, Luka Zgoba, has been officially removed from his duties and «banned from ministry.» According to the decision of the newly elected head of the UOC-KP, Nikodim Kobzar, which comes into force on May 24, 2026, Zgoba is deprived of key positions and retired.

According to the Department of Public Relations and Mass Media of the UOC-KP, Bohdan Zgoba has been relieved of his duties as vicar of the Kyiv Patriarchate. He also no longer holds the position of secretary of the vicariate in the United States and Canada.

The reason for these measures was serious disciplinary violations. The leadership of the UOC-KP accuses Zgoba of disobeying the head of the UOC-KP, participating in secret conspiracies and attempts to create groups that violate the unity of the structure. In addition, among the reasons are improper appearance and systematic abuse of alcohol.

Earlier, the Synod of the OCU under the leadership of Epiphany Dumenko decided to defrock the head of the UOC-KP, Nikodim 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.