The Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine convened on May 11, 2026, in the Synodal Hall of the Patriarchal Residence in Kyiv under the presidency of Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv.
In an official statement issued after the session, the Synodal Secretariat declared that, following the decisions of the Local Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate and the Unification Council held on December 15, 2018, “the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate ceased from that moment to exist separately as a jurisdiction and religious association, having fully and completely entered into the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.”
The Synod emphasized that the names “Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate” and “Kyiv Patriarchate” are legally registered to the Kyiv Metropolia of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine “as the sole universal legal successor of the former Kyiv Patriarchate religious association,” adding that “the use of these names without authorization constitutes a violation of the law.”
The statement sharply criticized a small group that continues to identify itself as the “Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate,” describing it as “an unsuccessful attempt by a marginal group to create a schism, behind which Russian interests and influences are clearly visible.”
According to the Synod, the group “consists of only a few individuals, most of whom reside outside Ukraine,” and “is not a religious organization but merely uses Church symbols and names for its own purposes.”
The Holy Synod further stated that those presenting themselves as “bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate” “have never been and are not bishops” and “do not belong to the hierarchy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.”
During the May 11 session, the Synod also decided to defrock several previously suspended clerics, including the monk Nikodym Kobzar, who calls himself “patriarch,” along with Mykhailo Kovalyuk and Nikon Hrabliuk, who style themselves as “metropolitans.” The Synod noted that these individuals “were never bishops and have now also lost the priestly rank they once held.”
At the same time, the Synod welcomed efforts toward reconciliation, expressing joy that “around twenty parishes and clergy who had previously not been in communion with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine — representing the overwhelming majority — have already restored communion.”
Concluding its statement, the Holy Synod called on those who remain separated from the Church “to reconcile with the Local Church,” thereby demonstrating “their love for God and for Ukraine.”
Read the full text:
On behalf of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Synodal Secretariat publicly informs all whom it may concern that, on the basis of the decisions of the Local Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate on December 15, 2018, and of the Unification Council held at Saint Sophia on the same date, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate ceased from that moment to exist separately as a jurisdiction and religious association, having fully and completely entered into the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
The names “Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate,” “Kyiv Patriarchate,” and derivatives thereof are officially registered by the state to the Kyiv Metropolia of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), as the sole universal legal successor of the former Kyiv Patriarchate religious association. The use of these names without authorization constitutes a violation of the law.
The activities of the small group of individuals who, after the repose of Filaret, arbitrarily and groundlessly proclaim themselves to be the “Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate” are, in reality, an unsuccessful attempt by a marginal group to create a schism, behind which Russian interests and influences are clearly visible. This group consists of only a few individuals, most of whom reside outside Ukraine. It is not a religious organization but merely uses Church symbols and names for its own purposes.
In an attempt to lend significance to its actions, this group seeks to involve similar schismatics from other countries, including Greece, the Czech Republic, and elsewhere. Such actions, according to the Synod, have nothing to do either with the genuine needs of Orthodox Ukrainians abroad or with the good of the Church in Ukraine. Therefore, the Holy Synod categorically condemns and rejects them.
The Holy Synod once again firmly declares, as it has done repeatedly in the past, that individuals from this group who present themselves now or in the future as “bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate” have never been and are not bishops. They do not belong to the hierarchy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, and their self-proclaimed titles and ranks have never been and never will be recognized by the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
For canonical offenses, the Holy Synod, during its session on May 11, 2026, defrocked several individuals who had previously been suspended from priestly ministry: the monks Nikodym Kobzar, who calls himself “patriarch,” Mykhailo Kovalyuk, and Nikon Hrabliuk, who style themselves as “metropolitans.” According to the Synod, these persons were never bishops and have now also lost the priestly rank they once held. The Synod warned that similar canonical penalties may be imposed on any clergy who support the schismatic activities of this group.
At the same time, the Holy Synod expressed joy that, in accordance with the late Patriarch Filaret’s call to seek unity and peace, around twenty parishes and clergy who had previously not been in communion with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine — representing the overwhelming majority — have already restored communion. The Synod called on those who have not yet reconciled with the Local Church to do so, thereby demonstrating in practice their love for God and for Ukraine.
Source: posmina.info
