Ukrainian Churches want to leave Moscow Patriarchate

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the cleric of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under Moscow appealed to his Primate to "initiate the convening of the Local Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church", LB.ua reports. The address was furthermore published as a video on YouTube.

"The Council will raise the issue of the inappropriateness of further membership in the Moscow Patriarchate and changing the canonical status of our Church", one of the clerics said in the appeal. Since 2019, there is also a Patriarchate in Kiev for the Ukrainian part of the church. Moscow does not recognise the independent position of that patriarchate.

The priests also addressed the Russian patriarch Kirill: "We considered you a father, and some even a great master and Father, but you turned out to be worse than a stepfather. God will be your judge", they stated.

One of the clerics asserted that he refused to mention the name of the Russian patriarch any longer during the church services. "This is my response to your silence during Russia's war with Ukraine", he said.

About ten priests from Kiev and the surrounding region are behind the appeal. One says that Russian shelling destroyed his church in Demidov, LB.ua writes.

Earlier, Primate Onufriy called citizens to pray for the Ukrainian army, state and people in connection with the Russian offensive.