Bulgarian and Other Orthodox Leaders Defend Moscow Patriarchate Amid Ukrainian Ban

The Bulgarian Patriarch has joined an initiative by church leaders who support the Moscow Patriarchate's stance on the non-recognition of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). Alongside Patriarch Daniil, the Antiochian Patriarch John and Georgian Patriarch Ilia also participated. This move occurred just before the Ukrainian parliament outlawed the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC MP). Daniil’s letter, dated August 18, came as Ukrainian authorities signaled their intention to sever religious ties with the Russian Orthodox Church, following President Volodymyr Zelensky's announcement of measures to strengthen Ukraine's spiritual independence.

The letters sent by Daniil, John, and Ilia to Metropolitan Onufry, leader of the UOC MP, were in honor of the 10th anniversary of his inauguration as Metropolitan of Kyiv and all of Ukraine. The letters affirm his position as the canonical leader of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, with Daniil praising Onufry for resisting attempts to create disunity and maintaining the integrity of the UOC. This stance aligns with the Moscow Patriarchate’s view, which considers the OCU to be a schismatic group created through illegal actions by the Constantinople hierarchs in Ukraine.

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has not officially taken a stance on recognizing the OCU, but Daniil’s letter effectively supports the Moscow Patriarchate’s position by acknowledging Onufry as the legitimate Metropolitan of Kyiv. This is consistent with the Russian Orthodox Church's refusal to recognize the OCU, which was established in 2019 when the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew granted autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, thus ending the Moscow Patriarchate’s control over the spiritual life of Ukrainian Christians.

In response to these developments, a joint report from the Russian and Belarusian foreign ministries accused the Kyiv government of persecuting the UOC MP, claiming that a large-scale information campaign is discrediting its clergy and that churches are being seized and transferred to the OCU. The report also alleges that Ukraine, with Western support, is forming a society based on Nazi ideas, despite earlier statements from Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko contradicting this view.

For many Ukrainians, the creation of the OCU in December 2018 offered a way to practice their faith independently of the Moscow Patriarchate, especially after the Russian Orthodox Church supported the annexation of Crimea and Vladimir Putin's aggression against Ukraine. The UOC MP has been accused of collaborating with the Russian aggressor, with sermons reportedly urging prayers for the Moscow Patriarch, who has framed the conflict as a "holy war." Although the UOC declared independence from the Russian Orthodox Church in May 2022, it remains canonically linked to Moscow, and many of its higher clergy hold Russian citizenship.

The new Ukrainian law, passed by the Verkhovna Rada, gives religious organizations 30 days after its publication to sever ties with the Moscow Patriarchate, with a 9-month period for compliance. If the ties are not cut, these organizations will be outlawed, with the possibility of appealing the decision in court. The legislation follows Zelensky's December 2022 directive to suspend the activities of Russian-linked religious entities in Ukraine.