“Behind Onuphrius' Back”. UOC MP bishops condemned Russia's removal of Metropolitan Hilarion of Donetsk.

Bishops of the Ukrainian Church of the Moscow Patriarchate condemned the removal of UOC MP hierarchs in temporarily occupied territories

29 bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate condemned the actions of the ROC regarding the removal of UOC MP hierarchs in temporarily occupied territories. This is stated in the statement of the bishops.

On October 24, 2024, the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church decided to relieve Metropolitan Hilarion of Donetsk and Mariupol from managing the Donetsk diocese of the UOC MP and send him into retirement. Previously, bishops of other UOC MP dioceses in territories temporarily occupied by Russia were removed.

These decisions were made unilaterally, without any coordination with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is canonically independent according to the Tomos (Charter) of Patriarch Alexy II dated October 27, 1990, confirmed by the decision of the Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on May 27, 2022

The bishops of the UOC MP condemn these decisions and consider them uncanonical.

Additionally, this decision is aimed at undermining the independence of Ukraine and the very existence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the harsh conditions of military actions on the territory of Ukraine. Anti-canonical removal of Metropolitan Hilarion, a Ukrainian by origin, builder of the Donetsk Diocese, a long-term hierarch in Donbas, and the appointment of a Russian hierarch in his place indicates Moscow's desire to annex the canonical territory of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to destroy its independence and autonomy. We disagree with such a decision, demand its immediate revocation, call for the respect of the borders of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine

Representatives of the UOC MP claim that the driving force of the statement is precisely Odessa's Metropolitan Agafangel. He had long-standing friendly relations with Hilarion of Donetsk, so he might have initiated such activity when Moscow removed the latter in late October, and the UOC MP remained silent.

By the way, last year in the Simferopol diocese, Metropolitan Lazar of the UOC was retired, and a Russian was placed instead. Lazar was also a respected figure in the UOC, but no one stood up for his defense.

Agafangel himself is a permanent member of the UOC MP synod, has significant influence over the Church, and was once considered pro-Russian. However, recently he has made harsh statements towards Moscow, especially when a Russian missile destroyed the UOC cathedral in Odessa.

Some representatives of the UOC MP perceived the initiative of 31 bishops as an attempt to glorify Hilarion of Donetsk. This is not advised in the Church, as interlocutors claim, Hilarion himself recently signed an appeal to the ROC to take his diocese into its structure. He likely expected that he would be retained in his position.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky reacted to the decision of the Verkhovna Rada regarding the bill banning the Moscow Church. According to the president, the parliament adopted a law on "spiritual independence of Ukraine".

The Verkhovna Rada adopted a governmental bill banning the activities of religious organizations in Ukraine that have their governing center in a state that carries out armed aggression against Ukraine. This definition includes the Moscow Church, which operates in Ukraine under the brand of UOC MP.