Parish of OCU established in Slovenia

The Orthodox Church of Ukraine began to function in Slovenia, the local Embassy of Ukraine made this announcement.

Ambassador Mykhailo Brodovych was present at the first liturgy, Radio Liberty reports.

“Today, Ambassador Mykhailo Brodovych along with his wife, the Embassy's staff and representatives of the Ukrainian community in Slovenia visited the first Holy Liturgy of St. Basil the Great served in the church of St. Ulrich (Sveti Urh),” the statement of the diplomatic mission says.

According to him, the worship was conducted by Archpriest Vasyl Kucherka and a Slovenian priest, Father Alyos Tomashevich.

It is not clear from the message in what status this event was held.

The said priest, Fr Vasyl Kucherka, served as rector of the parish of the former UOC-Kyiv Patriarchate in Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana before the OCU emerged.

Meanwhile, the Tomos of canonical autocephaly, granted to the OCU by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, maintains that as a Local Ukrainian Church it can act only within the territory of Ukraine. The OCU, as the Tomos says according to its official translation, has since its creation been “unable to install bishops or found parishes outside the state; the existing ones obey, according to the order, the Ecumenical Council, which has canonical powers in the Diaspora, because the jurisdiction of this Church is limited to the territory of the Ukrainian State.”

Such a rule is generally accepted in the Orthodox world, although the Russian Orthodox Church constantly violates it.