OCU indicates its claim to Korets Monastery
Dumenko’s office described the DESS's conclusions regarding the Korets Convent as having a “spiritual dimension.”
On October 24, 2025, the Rivne Eparchy of the OCU published a statement concerning the findings of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience (DESS), which identified signs of the Korets Holy Trinity Women’s Stavropegial Monastery being affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church.
According to Dumenko’s representatives, the DESS’s conclusion is an important step not only in the legal sense but also “in the spiritual dimension.” “The DESS’s decision is meant to protect not only the law but also the very soul of our state, so that in its spiritual space there is no room for those who, under the guise of faith, serve falsehood,” the statement said.
The OCU also hinted that it expects to take the Korets Monastery under its control: “We believe the day will come when within these ancient walls sincere prayer will once again be heard in the Ukrainian language – a prayer for Ukraine, for the people, for our soldiers, for peace and victory.”
When exactly such “sincere prayer in the Ukrainian language” was previously heard in the monastery, the OCU did not specify. From the time of the Baptism of Rus until the 20th century, services on the territory of present-day Ukraine were conducted exclusively in Church Slavonic.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that DESS had announced the detection of signs of affiliation between the Korets Monastery in Rivne region and the Russian Orthodox Church.
