OCU lobbyist: "a Ukrainian exarchate under the Ecumenical Patriarchate could be created for UOC believers"

Historian and religious scholar Andriy Kovalov believes that there cannot be an automatic joining of several million Ukrainians from the UOC to the OCU, as they are no longer willing to unite with Dumenko’s structure. Kovalov noted that currently there is practically no communication between the state and the believers, while they maintain contact with their spiritual leaders, who “instill in them a sense of persecution.” He spoke about this on Espreso TV.

“We have understood that there cannot be an automatic joining of these several million Ukrainians to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, because they will not join the OCU. At this stage, the OCU itself is in a defensive stance, defending against the arrival of all people or all priests to the OCU. Therefore, when we face such a challenge, the Ukrainian state should again appeal to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who can be equally authoritative both for the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and for the believers of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine,” Kovalov said.

According to the expert, a temporary canonical structure could be created for UOC believers.
“For a certain period, a separate jurisdiction could be established, for example, a Ukrainian exarchate under the Ecumenical Patriarchate. These people would receive recognition and temporary canonical existence. The creation of a final autocephalous Orthodox Church in Ukraine requires time. The Tomos is not the end of the story of Ukrainian Orthodoxy; it is only the beginning,” Kovalov concluded.

Earlier, it was reported that former UOC priest Georgiy Kovalenko, who left for a schism and joined the OCU, stated that after 2022 the UOC “has not managed to rid itself of Moscow’s influence.” He emphasized that Ukrainian society expected a clear pro-Ukrainian stance from the UOC after the start of the full-scale invasion, but according to Kovalenko, this did not happen. The OCU cleric added that instead of siding with Ukraine, the church leadership allegedly tries to maneuver and maintain ties with the ROC.