Precedent in Chernihiv: UOC parish is the first in the region to receive the status of an independent religious community

In Chernihiv, the parish of All Saints of Chernihiv, which belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, initiated the procedure of obtaining the status of an independent religious community. This was the first such case in the region and has sparked debate about whether it is a step toward real independence or a way to avoid problems amid new legislation restricting the activities of RF-affiliated religious organizations.

According to Suspilne Chernigiv, the rector of the church, Archpriest Peter Kaznovecky, said the documents were filed about two months ago following a decision by the general meeting of the parish. “We have to harmonize our internal life with the members of our community, ” he noted. Vladimir Tkachuk, the temple’s priest, also supported the decision, emphasizing: “We are masters of what we have: of the temple, of the territory, and of all the decisions we make. We have to own the situation and defend ourselves”.

When asked whether this step is not an attempt to evade joining the PCU, the abbot answered in the negative. “I take the position of the canonical local church, which will be recognized by all Orthodox churches. Ukrainian to be local, canonical, recognized by all,” – said Petro Kaznovetsky. Earlier, on September 26, 2024, he addressed Metropolitan Onufry with a request to withdraw the UOC from the Russian Orthodox Church, calling the actions of Russian church leaders “anti-Christian,” and the head of the Kremlin – “the forerunner of the Antichrist.”

However, according to Peter Kralyuk, a doctor of philosophical sciences, this appeal has no legal force and is only a “demonstration of position.” “If he is such a great patriot, let him move to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” the expert believes. The head of the Chernihiv Regional State Administration’s Department for Nationalities and Religious Affairs, Oleksiy Stepanenko, confirmed that this is an unusual and first case in the region, and the documents are currently being studied. It is noteworthy that the secretary of the Chernihiv diocese of the UOC, Igor Pidan, said that it was the first time he heard about such a decision of the community.

The situation is unfolding against the background of the adoption in August 2024 of the law “On the protection of the constitutional order in the sphere of activities of religious organizations”, which prohibits the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church and its affiliated structures in Ukraine. The head of the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, Viktor Yelenskyy, explained that independent religious communities have the right to exist and can practice any religion. However, if such a community is used to spread the ideology of the “Russian world”, its activity will be terminated in accordance with a special resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers.

According to the regional administration, there are 531 parishes belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Chernihiv region. At the moment, there has not yet been an order to register the parish of All Saints of Chernihiv as an independent religious community.

We shall remind you that earlier we reported that United Nations experts recognized the response of the Ukrainian authorities to official reports about violations of the rights of believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) as unsatisfactory. Against the background of growing criticism of the persecution of the UOC, human rights activists report that the facts of violations have been recognized at the international level.