Synod of OCU establishes commission and calls on Ukrainian Orthodox Church to engage in dialogue

on February 2, 2026, the Synod of the OCU issued an appeal to «Orthodox believers, clergy and hierarchs in Ukraine who depend on the position of the Russian Patriarchate» calling for a constructive dialogue to achieve the unity of the Church. The appeal emphasizes the need for the existence of a single autocephalous Orthodox Church in Ukraine, as defined by the Tomos of Autocephaly. In addition, the OCU announced the creation of a commission to conduct a dialogue with the UOC.

According to pomisna.info, the Synod recalled attempts at dialogue in the past, which «were blocked by Moscow.» At the same time, the organization stated that «after 2014, numerous attempts to resume the dialogue were not supported by the official leadership of church structures dependent on the Moscow Patriarchate.» Nevertheless, the OCU expresses hope for a change in position and the beginning of a constructive dialogue.

The Synod announced the formation of a Dialogue Commission headed by former UOC hierarch Simeon Shostatsky and called on the other side to create a similar commission to start negotiations without preconditions. The appeal was published for public information and submitted as an official document for consideration.

Earlier, we reported that Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople addressed the head of the OCU with an instruction to actively seek ways to bring the UOC hierarchs closer together through dialogue and finding common ground to achieve unity. Seven years after the granting of the Tomos of autocephaly, the Patriarch emphasized the importance of efforts to achieve peace, condemned state interference in church affairs, and called for a rethinking of positions for the sake of general reconciliation.