The head of the Rivne Diocese of the OCU once again called on the clergy and faithful of the UOC in the Rivne region to unite within the Ukrainian schism

Ilarion Protsyk, the administrator of the Rivne Diocese of the OCU, issued an official statement addressed to the clergy and faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). The OCU hierarch called for open dialogue and the overcoming of the church schism.

In his message at , Protsyk emphasized that the current situation in the country requires Orthodox Ukrainians to take a “clear and honest position.” According to him, “formal declarations of independence are insufficient if canonical ties with the Moscow Patriarchate remain.” He noted that “true church unity must be based on prayer and sincere repentance, not on external pressure or court decisions.”

The OCU representative emphasized that he does not consider the faithful and clergy of the UOC to be enemies. As conditions for reconciliation, Hilarion guaranteed the full preservation of the clerical rank for clergy, the integrity of parishes and churches, and the absence of a division between “winners” and “losers.”

The message concludes with a call to set aside the conflicts of the past and work together to build a single Local Orthodox Church of Ukraine, where everyone is guaranteed respect and equality.

As a reminder, earlier, the head of the Rivne-Volyn Diocese of the OCU, Gabriel Krizina—who transferred from the UOC to the UAOC with the rank of archimandrite—published further revelations about the “inner workings” of the OCU. Krizina believes that the misunderstandings within the OCU will continue as long as two or three hierarchs of the organization are “in charge” in a single regional center.