During the war, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church opened about 10 parishes abroad, and now the same number is in the process of being organized. Metropolitan Meletius of Chernivtsi and Bukovina spoke about this in an interview with the French website Orthodoxie.
Speaking about the number of Ukrainians in the diaspora, he noted that according to international statistics, there are now 7 million refugees abroad and it is predicted that about 2.5-3 million Ukrainians will remain living abroad.
“Such a number of refugees is comparable to the population of some European countries. Naturally, the migration of people is a pastoral challenge for the Church and we are trying to respond to it,” the hierarch said.
He added: “During the war, we have already opened about 10 parishes, and these statistics are changing rapidly. There are many more in the process of organizing. At the same time, we focus on requests from places of organized stay of our believers abroad. Parishes are being opened in many European countries – in Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Holland and other countries.”
“From France, our people also turn to us with such requests,” he added.