The Romanian Patriarchate is considering the possibility of the return of Romanian Orthodox communities in Ukraine

On March 27, 2025, during a working session of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the issue of the possible return of certain Romanian Orthodox communities in Ukraine to the Romanian Patriarchate was discussed. This decision was a response to the initiative of Romanian believers and clergy in the Chernivtsi region who expressed their desire to reunite with the Romanian Orthodox Church, reports bucpress.eu.

According to information circulating on social media, an initiative group consisting of representatives of the local Romanian community has been established in the region to support this idea. In connection with this, the official statement of the Holy Synod notes: «The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church has taken note, with hope and blessing, of the desire of some Romanian Orthodox communities in Ukraine to return to the Romanian Orthodox Church.»

In this context, it is important to consider the results of a survey conducted in the fall of 2024 by the Institute for Political Research and Social Capital in Chernivtsi. According to the study, 72.6% of Romanian-speaking residents of Ukraine support the creation of a separate church structure for Romanians in the Chernivtsi, Zakarpattia, and Odesa regions. At the same time, 16.4% of the Romanian-speaking population were unaware of this initiative. Only 6% of respondents opposed the idea, while 1% believe that «the initiative of the Romanian Patriarchate will not solve any problems but will only create new ones.»

Previously, it was reported that Viktor Yelensky, head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, commented on the attempts of the Romanian Orthodox Church to establish its jurisdiction in Ukraine. The official stated that the OCU had already created a «Romanian Vicariate,» which is intended to incorporate Romanian-speaking parishes in Bukovina. Additionally, the OCU hopes that in doing so, the Romanian Patriarchate will recognize the Ukrainian schism.