On May 25, 2022, a meeting of the Synod of the UOC-KP headed by “Patriarch” Filaret Denisenko was held, where they discussed the “sanctions” adopted in the OCU on May 23, 2022 on the defrocking of the hierarchs of the “Kyiv Patriarchate” abroad of Ukraine Ioasaf Shibaev, Petr Moskalev, Filaret Panku, as well as about summoning Andrei Marutsak and Luka Zgoba to the trial of the OCU. This was reported on the website of the UOC-KP.

Filaret explained to the hierarchs of the OCU that “the above-mentioned bishops of the UOC-KP do not belong to the OCU… The powers of the Holy Synod of the OCU are limited to the territory of Ukraine and do not extend to other countries. The named bishops of the Kyiv Patriarchate are citizens of the United States, Moldova, Russia and therefore are not subject to the court of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, since the rights of the OCU are limited to the borders of Ukraine. The named bishops can only be judged by the ecclesiastical court of their own Church, and not someone else’s. The OCU is a not the Church of the aforementioned bishops.”

The UOC-KP also reminded that “Epiphany Dumenko is not a legitimate Primate of the OCU. He is a usurper of church power. The primates of the Churches are elected at the Local Councils of their Church. Metropolitan Epiphany was not elected by the Local Council of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The episcopate of the OCU knows about the violation of church canons and traditions by Metropolitan Epiphany (Dumenko), and they are silent. Therefore, this episcopate is also responsible for the violation of church traditions and canons by Metropolitan Epiphany… Epiphany is afraid of convening the Local Council of the OCU, because he knows that the Council will not elect him as Primate.”

Earlier it was reported that the head of the UOC-KP vicariate in the United States was “summoned for trial” by the OCU.