The Zaporizhzhia Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church responded to the State Security Service’s statement regarding an investigation into ties with the Russian Orthodox Church

Metropolitan Luke of Zaporizhzhia and Melitopol addressed the clergy and the faithful in connection with the start of an investigation into the diocese’s activities by Ukraine’s State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience. In his address, Bishop Luke called on the faithful not to give in to fear, anger, or hatred, emphasizing that the Church has repeatedly endured historical trials.

Bishop stressed that no administrative or coercive measures can destroy faith, and that attempts to exert pressure should be met not with aggression in return, but with spiritual fortitude and fervent prayer.

As a spiritual response to the current situation, the metropolitan instituted a daily prayer service at 9:00 p.m. Believers are encouraged to pray for all who oppose the Church, including those who make decisions regarding its fate, asking for their enlightenment and guidance. The hierarch called on the flock to intensify their fasting and preserve unity, drawing on the Savior’s words about remaining with the Church until the end of the age.

As a reminder, it was recently reported that the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (GESS) has launched an official investigation into the Zaporizhzhia Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). The main purpose of the inspection is to determine whether the diocese’s leadership has administrative and canonical ties to a “foreign religious organization,” by which the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) is meant.