Inauguration ceremonies for the new head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church—Kyiv Patriarchate were held in Sumy

On June 7, 2026, a solemn enthronement ceremony for the new head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church–Kyiv Patriarchate, Nikodim Kobzar, was held at the Epiphany Church in Sumy. According to “Suspilne.Sumy,” representatives of the episcopate of this religious organization attended the event.

During the ceremony, Nikon Hrabliuk, head of the Odessa Diocese of the UOC-KP, described Nikodim Kobzar as the “spiritual leader of the nation,” upon whom rests the responsibility for the entire local church. Hrabliuk emphasized the new head’s modesty, recalling his ministry in the village of Hrunivka, and compared the current state of the UOC-KP to a “mustard seed”—small and defenseless, but capable of growing into a mighty tree over time.

The event was further highlighted by a speech from the “patriarchal vicar” in the Czech Republic, Evgeny Sigismund Freiman. He presented Nikodim with an order, calling him a “general of the army” and a “grand knight of the order,” which is officially registered with the UN. According to Freiman, in the hierarchy of this order, Nikodim Kobzar now ranks second after the Patriarch of Alexandria.

Nikodim Kobzar himself stated in his speech that he considers himself the fourth patriarch in the organization’s history, following Mstislav Skrypnyk, Volodymyr Romaniuk, and Filaret Denisenko. He emphasized that the parishioners of the UOC-KP are “heirs to a great idea” for which the finest representatives of the Ukrainian people fought.

As a reminder, on May 31, 2026, the head of the UOC-KP, Nikodim Kobzar,officially accepted “Archbishop” Nicola (Nuncio) Rimauinto the organization and announced the creation of a new ecclesiastical vicariate covering the territory of Italy and Portugal.