The cleric of the UOC-KP in the United States, Viktor Polyarny, who headed the vicariate of the Kyivan Patriarchate in the United States and Canada until February 2, 2021, reacted to Filaret’s decree regarding his dismissal.

On his Facebook page Viktor Polyarny wrote that on the occasion of the birthday of the head of the OCU Epiphany Dumenko and his “enthronement”, “he wishes the best results in the unification of all Orthodox Ukrainians scattered throughout the world into a single local Ukrainian Orthodox Church… we rejoice, that on December 15, 2018, an extraordinary event took place at the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, where three branches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church united into one”.

Also, Viktor Polyarny said that since today “The Vicariate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA, Australia, Canada and Japan automatically becomes an integral part of the Local Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Ukraine” and submits to the head of the OCU Epiphany Dumenko.

It is currently unknown, in what way the Patriarchate of Constantinople will react to this.

On February 2, Filaret dismissed Viktor Polyarny from the post of head of the vicariate of the UOC-KP in the United States and appointed Bohdan Zgoba instead.