DESS says how many UOC churches have "transferred" to OCU since war started

People in balaclavas seize the Intercession Church of the UOC in Checheliyivka. Photo: UOJ

As of the beginning of 2024, there were 10,919 UOC religious organizations in Ukraine, of which 10,586 were religious communities. In response to an inquiry from the Babel publication, officials reported that 1,123 UOC religious communities had "transferred" to the organization led by Dumenko from February 24, 2022, to January 1, 2024.

According to the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, the highest number of "transfers" occurred in the Khmelnytskyi region, where 279 religious communities changed jurisdiction. Significant numbers of "transfers" were also recorded in Kyiv region (271 communities), Vinnytsia region (119), Volyn region (76), and Cherkasy region (76).

In other regions, such as Zakarpattia, Kharkiv, and Kyiv, only four "transfers" were recorded, while in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, there were three. In Dnipropetrovsk region, only two communities "transferred." No "transfers" were recorded in Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, or Luhansk regions.

At the start of 2024, Ukraine had 10,919 UOC religious organizations, including 10,586 religious communities, 51 religious centers, 214 monasteries, 34 religious fraternities, and 17 missions and theological educational institutions.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the head of the Phanar demanded Dumenko explain the violent takeovers of UOC churches.

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