OCU Bishops’ Council calls on Ukraine to join EU
OCU representatives in the Refectory Cathedral of the Lavra. Photo: OCU
On July 15, 2026, the Bishops’ Council of the OCU issued a message from the seized Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra calling on Ukrainians to support the country’s accession to the European Union.
“The European Union has many problems, but within it one can freely preach the Gospel and profess the Orthodox Christian faith without its being distorted by the heretical doctrine of the ‘Russian world,’” the document states.
“Europe, especially in comparison with Russia and its satellites, remains a space of freedom where one can preserve and defend one’s national, spiritual, and cultural identity,” the message says.
The document does not explain why the OCU raises the subject of Russia in the context of Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
“Therefore, the choice is obvious to us – the Bishops’ Council consistently supports the path chosen by our people toward unity with the European democratic community,” the document states.
As previously reported by the UOJ, DESS head Viktor Yelensky said that members of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations remain opposed to LGBT issues for now but will make compromises for the sake of EU integration.
Read also
Lavra reserve head estimates damage to Dormition Cathedral at €15 million
Maksym Ostapenko said restoring the Dormition Cathedral would take at least a couple of years and require major funding.
DESS official says state should not govern the Church
A DESS official called for cooperation between the state and the Church for the benefit of citizens.
Poltava court upholds mobilization of Protestant pastor
A court in the Poltava region ruled that a prior criminal conviction and religious beliefs do not exempt a person from military service.
Ostapenko: Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra would not exist without Soviet-era reserve
The reserve director spoke about the Soviet museum’s role in saving the monastery, while stressing the need to rethink its history.
Metropolitan Anthony criticizes DESS order on Boryspil Eparchy
The UOC chancellor rejected officials’ findings, pointing to procedural violations in the DESS review.
Two more parishes in Sloviansk reregistered under OCU
The organizer behind the transfer of UOC communities in Sloviansk said the reregistration of churches would continue.