Phanar hierarch criticizes US peace plan over demand to protect UOC

Archbishop Ilia, Primate of the Finnish Orthodox Church, which is part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, expressed concern about the US peace plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. According to him, of particular concern is the clause requiring Ukraine to revise its legislation on religious freedom, which, in the hierarch’s opinion, is aimed at rehabilitating and protecting the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

According to the press service of the Finnish Archdiocese of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Archbishop Ilia said that the terms of the proposed peace “do not cause optimism.” He explained that he is “particularly concerned” about the plan’s requirement for Ukraine to “correct” its legislation on religious freedom. “This requirement can only mean providing guarantees to the church structure of the Moscow Patriarchate in the country. This condition is not based on facts. I know this because I saw the truth with my own eyes,” the hierarch emphasized.

Archbishop Ilia claims that his conclusions are based on a personal visit to Ukraine. “Being there, in a country ravaged by war, I did not see religious persecution, but saw unity,” he said. – “Our conversations with the head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience, Viktor Yelenskyy, as well as with religious leaders in Lviv, showed that freedom of religion is fully exercised in Ukraine.

In conclusion, the hierarch of the Patriarchate of Constantinople noted that “sustainable peace cannot be built on the basis of injustice,” thus expressing his disagreement with the provision of legislative guarantees for the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Earlier, we reported that the head of the OCU , Epiphany Dumenko, met with the Primate of the Autonomous Finnish Orthodox Church of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Archbishop Elijah of Helsinki and All Finland. During the meeting, which took place on October 1, 2025, the parties discussed key issues of interchurch relations and the situation in world Orthodoxy.