Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)

Ukrainian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate (disputed)
Emblem
Classification	Christian
Orientation	Eastern Orthodox
Primate	Metropolitan Onufriy
Bishops	114 (53 governing)
Clerics	12,551 (2022)
Nuns	2,727
Parishes	8,097 (May 2024)
Monastics	4,620 (2022)
Monasteries	161 (2022)
Language	Church Slavonic, Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian
Liturgy	Byzantine Rite
Territory	Ukraine
Origin	988 (establishment of the Metropolitanate of Kyiv) 1990 (self-rule within the Moscow Patriarchate)
Recognition	27 May 2022 24 March 2023
Members	6% of the Ukrainian Orthodox population
Official website	church.ua uoc-news.church

Eastern Orthodox Church
Part of a series on the
Mosaic of Christ Pantocrator, Hagia Sophia
Overview
Structure Theology (History of theology) Liturgy Church history Holy Mysteries View of Salvation View of Mary View of icons
Background Crucifixion / Resurrection / Ascension of Jesus Christianity Christian Church Apostolic succession Four Marks of the Church Orthodoxy
Organization Autonomy Autocephaly Patriarchate Ecumenical Patriarch Episcopal polity Canon law Clergy Bishops Priests Deacons Monasticism Degrees Bratstvo
Autocephalous jurisdictions Autocephalous Churches who are officially part of the communion: Constantinople Alexandria Antioch Jerusalem Russia Serbia Romania Bulgaria Georgia Cyprus Greece Poland Albania Czech Lands and Slovakia Autocephaly recognized by some autocephalous Churches de jure: America North Macedonia Autocephaly and canonicity recognized by Constantinople and 3 other autocephalous Churches: Ukraine (OCU) Spiritual independence recognized by Georgian Orthodox Church: Ukraine (UOC)
Autonomous jurisdictions Sinai (JP) Finland (EP) Estonia (EP) Japan (MP) China (MP) Americas (RP) Bessarabia (RP) Moldova (MP) Semi-Autonomous: Crete (EP) Estonia (MP) ROCOR (MP)
Episcopal assemblies Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania Austria Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg Canada France Germany Great Britain and Ireland Italy and Malta Latin America Scandinavia Spain and Portugal Switzerland and Liechtenstein United States of America
Noncanonical jurisdictions Old Believers Spiritual Christianity True Orthodoxy Catacomb Church Old Calendarists American Orthodox Catholic Church American World Patriarchs National churches: Abkhazia Belarus Latvia Montenegro Turkey UOC–KP Evangelical Orthodox Phyletism
Ecumenical councils First Seven Ecumenical Councils: Nicaea I Constantinople I Ephesus Chalcedon Constantinople II Constantinople III Nicaea II Other possible ecumenical councils: Constantinople IV Constantinople V Other important councils: Quinisext Council Jassy Moscow Jerusalem Constantinople (1872)
History Church Fathers Pentarchy Byzantine Empire Christianization of Georgia Christianization of Bulgaria Christianization of Kievan Rus' Great Schism Russia Ottoman Empire North America Moscow–Constantinople schism 15th–16th c. 1996 2018
Theology History of Eastern Orthodox theology (20th century (Neo-Palamism)) Apophaticism Chrismation Contemplative prayer Essence vs. Energies Hesychasm Holy Trinity Hypostatic union Icons Metousiosis Mystical theology Nicene Creed Nepsis Oikonomia vs Akribeia Ousia Palamism Philokalia Phronema Sin Theosis Theotokos Differences from the Catholic Church Opposition to the Filioque Opposition to papal supremacy
Liturgy and worship Divine Liturgy Divine Services Akathist Apolytikion Artos Ectenia Euchologion Holy Water Iconostasis Jesus Prayer Aprakos Kontakion Liturgical entrances Liturgical fans Lity Memorial service Memory Eternal Omophorion Eastern Orthodox bowing Eastern Orthodox marriage Praxis Paraklesis Paschal greeting Paschal Homily Paschal troparion Prayer rope Prosphora Russian bell ringing Semantron Sign of the cross Sticheron Troparion Vestments Use of incense
Liturgical calendar Paschal cycle 12 Great Feasts Other feasts: Feast of Orthodoxy Intercession of the Theotokos The four fasting periods: Nativity Fast Great Lent Apostles' Fast Dormition Fast
Major figures Saints (Russian (until 15th century), Russian (post-15th century), Serbian, American) Justin Martyr Athanasius of Alexandria Ephraim the Syrian Basil of Caesarea Cyril of Jerusalem Gregory of Nazianzus Gregory of Nyssa John Chrysostom Cyril of Alexandria John Climacus Maximus the Confessor John of Damascus Theodore the Studite Kassia Cyril and Methodius Photius I of Constantinople Vladimir the Great Sava I of Serbia Gregory Palamas Innocent of Alaska
Other topics Architecture Folk Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs Cross Saint titles Statistics by country

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), commonly referred to by the exonym Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), is an Eastern Orthodox church in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church was officially formed in 1990 as the successor to the Ukrainian Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) as the Ukrainian branch of the ROC.

On 27 May 2022, following a church-wide council in Kyiv, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church announced its full independence and autonomy from the Moscow Patriarchate. The council made this decision in protest of the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, and particularly in response to Russian Orthodox Church head Patriarch Kirill's support for the invasion. The UOC did not (and has never) declared full autocephaly from the Russian Orthodox Church. As of 2025, its leadership is also still published in the ROC's calendar.

Since the Unification Council on 15 December 2018 which formed the separate Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople has disputed the claims by the Moscow Patriarchate of its ecclesiastical jurisdiction over the territory of Ukraine.

The Russian Orthodox Church does not currently recognize a change in their relationship to the UOC. However, in June 2023 ROC hierarch Metropolitan Leonid (Gorbachev) of Klin, scorned the UOC's decision to separate from the Moscow Patriarchate, saying, "When the opportunity presented itself to get out from under the wing of Moscow, they did it," and declared that the ROC would absorb the UOC's dioceses in Russian occupied areas of Ukraine.

On 20 August 2024, the Ukrainian parliament banned the Russian Orthodox Church by adopting the Law of Ukraine "On the Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Field of Activities of Religious Organizations". The law gave Ukrainian religious organizations affiliated with the ROC nine months to break off its relations with the Patriarchate of Moscow in accordance with the Canon law of the Eastern Orthodox Church.