ROC parish in Norway announces its exit from Moscow Patriarchate
The parish’s rector was suspended from ministry by the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2024.
April 6, 2025 – The Epiphany parish of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) in Bergen, Norway, has announced its decision to leave the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate. The announcement was made by the parish rector, Dmitry Ostanin, on Facebook.
According to Ostanin, the decision was made through a vote, with 135 in favor and 16 against. The community cited its opposition to the ROC’s pro-war stance as the reason for its departure:
“We can no longer remain part of a jurisdiction where representatives justify or bless armed violence. Such an attitude undermines both the Church’s moral authority and the personal suffering that many of our members have experienced as a result of military conflict.”
The parish is currently not under the jurisdiction of any Local Orthodox Church.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that in March 2024, Patriarch Kirill recalled Ostanin to Moscow, and in June 2024, he was suspended from ministry.
