The ex-archimandrite of the UOC, now the “hierarch” of the OCU in the Rivne region and Volyn, Gabriel Kryzyna, said on his Facebook that, “unlike the Moscow Patriarchate,” at divine services of the OCU “everyone is wearing a mask”.

As an example, he posted a photo from the service from the church of the UOC and his parish in Kostopil.

“In the glorious Rivne region, one of the signs of the parish belonging to the Moscow Patriarchate is the categorical refusal of parishioners to wear protective masks at divine services (the left photo shows the temple in honor of the Great Martyr Catherine in the town of Zdolbuniv of the Rivne diocese of the UOC MP (07.12.202); right photo – a temple in honor of Yuri the Victorious in the city of Kostopil, Rivne-Volyn diocese of the UOC (OCU) (19.12.2021),” writes Kryzyna.

When asked where his own personal protective equipment is in the photo, Kryzyna was unable to answer coherently.