Dumenko counts three times as many believers in the OCU as in the UOC

Epifaniy Dumenko. Photo: pravda.com.ua

In an interview with RBC-Ukraine, the head of the OCU Epifaniy Dumenko spoke about sociological polls that claim that among Ukrainians who consider themselves Orthodox there are three times more supporters of his religious organization than the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

According to him, these polls showed that 50% of Ukrainians who identified themselves as Orthodox consider themselves parishioners of the OCU and only 15% are loyal to the UOC. “According to various sociological polls, Orthodox Christians have constituted in total about 72-73% over the recent years in Ukraine. More than 50% associate themselves with the OCU, consider themselves to be believers of our Church. There is a part, about 15%, of those who call themselves loyal to the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine,” Dumenko said.

He also said that when the OCU supporters in Ukraine amount to 80-90%, it will be possible to carry out a calendar reform and celebrate Christmas on December 25 instead of January 7.

At the same time, according to the official data of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine for 2020, there are 12,410 parishes of the UOC and only 7097 of the OCU in the country.

As reported by the UOJ, Epifaniy Dumenko said that the help of law enforcement agencies and authorities is required for the transfer of communities to the OCU.

Read also

Interview with His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas, First Hierarch of ROCOR

The Southern Clergy Retreat and the Growth of Orthodoxy in the South

Christian Orthodox Coalition Calls for Action Amid Syrian Crisis

March 19, 2025 – The Christian Orthodox Coalition in the United States has issued a powerful statement condemning the ongoing persecution of Orthodox Christians in war-torn Syria.