The OCU accused the Pope of supporting Moscow's interests

Roman Hryshchuk, a cleric of the OCU, sharply criticized the Pope and the UGCC, accusing the pontiff of acting in Russia’s interests. The conflict erupted amid discussions about the OCU’s presence in Ukraine’s western regions.

The public dispute on and Facebook was sparked by a statement from UGCC clergyman Justyn Boiko, who suggested that Epiphanius Dumenko’s organization limit its activities and focus exclusively on the east and south of the country. In response, Roman Hryshchuk rejected such claims of territorial division, stating: “Guys, let’s not tell us where we can and cannot go, and we won’t tell you where to go!”

In a social media post, Hryshchuk accused the Vatican of being loyal to the Kremlin, pointing out that the Pope equates Russia and Ukraine in his calls for peace. The cleric also rebuked the leadership of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) for its selective silence regarding the pontiff’s statements, noting that, in his opinion, the OCU is the “main enemy” of Greek Catholics. The OCU representative supported his position with historical analogies, comparing the UGCC’s current actions to the period of Polish occupation, when the Ukrainian population was forcibly converted to Catholicism.

As a reminder, earlier, UGCC representative Justyn Boiko issued a public appeal to the OCU to reconsider its strategy regarding its territorial presence, suggesting that it withdraw from the western regions of the country and focus its activities in the east and south.