Membership of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia in the country's Ecumenical Council suspended for a year

On November 25, 2025, the General Assembly of the Ecumenical Council of Churches in the Czech Republic decided to suspend for one year the membership of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia (OCLC). The move was taken due to loss of trust, reports of financial irregularities and concerns about possible foreign influence.

According to an official statement from the council, “loss of trust and breach of cooperation” are cited as reasons for the one-year moratorium. Among the main problems cited were the prolonged absence of PCZ&C representatives from meetings of the council’s executive bodies and minimal participation in the work of its commissions.

Of particular concern were repeated press reports of non-transparent financial management, particularly in the Archdiocese of Prague. The Czech Ministry of Culture confirmed the existence of facts of the Church’s systematic failure to fulfill its financial obligations to the state and to its own employees.

An additional factor was a reminder of last year’s Czech Senate report, which referred to alleged Russian influence through Orthodox structures. The Ecumenical Council Assembly reiterated its opposition to Russian aggression against Ukraine and expressed concern about the possible use of church organizations for propaganda purposes.

The Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia has been given until the next meeting of the Assembly in 2026 to take the necessary steps to rectify the situation. Otherwise, its membership may be terminated completely. At the same time, the Ecumenical Council maintained the current agreements on the service of Orthodox chaplains in public institutions and expressed the hope that the Church will be able to overcome the current crisis and restore trust.

Recall, earlier we reported that an extraordinary meeting of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in the Czech Lands and Slovakia was held in Bratislava. On the agenda was the issue of the situation with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Synod emphasized the importance of unity in the Orthodox world and expressed solidarity with the persecuted believers in Ukraine.