Deputies of the Kovel City Council said that the clergy of the UOC “should set an example” and unite with “the recognized OCU, the only canonical successor of the Kyiv Metropolis among the Orthodox churches of Ukraine.” They stated this in their appeal.

“We, the deputies of the city council of Kovel, believe that at this defining time, all Ukrainian institutions should protect state sovereignty. Therefore, we call on the clergy and clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, located on the territory of the Kovel community, to take the necessary measures to change the canonical status of the church and withdraw from the Moscow Patriarchate, moving on to real actions, and not quiet imprisonment. <…>

We urge you to cast aside misunderstandings and doubts, leave the ranks of the UOC-MP, sit down at a round table of negotiations with representatives of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and jointly look for peaceful ways to such a solution that would once and for all close the road of the Russian Church to Ukraine, and allow the believers of our country to build a true Catholic Independent Ukrainian Church,” the appeal reads.