OP chief: Classifying UOC as part of Moscow Patriarchate is manipulation
Kyrylo Budanov. Photo: ukrinform
The chief of the President's Office Kyrylo Budanov during a briefing at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities on April 9, 2026 spoke out against a forceful solution to the church issue.
Responding to a journalist's question regarding the small number of "transitions" from the UOC, Kyrylo Budanov interrupted her, noting that adding the suffix "MP" to "Ukrainian Orthodox Church" is manipulation.
The OP chief emphasized that the name UOC is a fact. "The suffix 'MP' was removed from the UOC," he said.
Budanov highlighted that in Ukraine the Church is separated from the state and spoke out against interference in the religious sphere.
"One cannot rush here. Doing something by force in the spiritual aspect has never, in any state, brought results," he added.
As the UOJ reported, the Presidential Office chief hopes for a major Easter prisoner swap.
Read also
Greece signs memorandum on protection of Jerusalem Patriarchate's shrines
Next week, the Greek Parliament will ratify a document on the protection of the cultural heritage of the Jerusalem Patriarchate.
Greek bishop calls imposition of same-sex marriage a threat
Metropolitan Seraphim of Kythera urged families to become a “domestic church” amid threats to the Christian family in Greek laws and school curricula.
Patriarch Bartholomew arrives in Budapest for opening of Orthodox center
The Ecumenical Patriarch has arrived in Hungary, where he will preside over the consecration of the Orthodox center "Phanarion."
OCU raiders stage attack on seized church in Kyiv, media
OCU "hierarch" Serhiy Horobtsov published a provocative post online regarding St. John's Church in Bykivnia seized by his people.