UOC priest in the Romanian Parliament called for the transition of the Romanian communities of Ukraine to the jurisdiction of the Romanian Patriarchate

Archpriest Ciprian Biletsky, cleric of the Khust diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, speaking in the Romanian Parliament, publicly called on Orthodox Romanian-speaking communities in Ukraine to return to the jurisdiction of the Romanian Orthodox Church. The statement was made on October 17 as part of an annual forum on Romanian identity and diaspora issues.

According to Uzhgorod.Info, Archpriest Cipriyan Biletsky is a representative of the Romanian-speaking Solotvinskiy sub-district of the Khust diocese of the UOC. His call, which he voiced in the Romanian Parliament, was formulated as «the return of the Orthodox Romanian communities of Ukraine to the jurisdiction of the Romanian Orthodox Church.»

The publication also notes that Priest Cipriyan Biletsky comes from a family that has been ministering in Romanian-speaking parishes in Transcarpathia for several generations. According to church sources, his family members have Romanian passports, which indicates dual citizenship. This enables them to freely visit Romania, serve in the churches of the Romanian Orthodox Church and actively participate in its church life.

Earlier, Romanian-Moldovan politician and former member of the Moldovan Parliament Vlad Kubryakov criticized the Ukrainian government and specialized institutions for refusing to register the Romanian Orthodox Church of Ukraine (ROMOCU). Kubryakov revealed previously unknown details about the formation of the ROMOCU, saying that the unwillingness of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience to register a new Orthodox denomination within the Romanian Patriarchate contradicts Ukrainian and international legislation.