Media: OCU complains of personnel crisis
An activist of Dumenko’s structure has acknowledged a shortage of clerics and the reluctance of theological school graduates to be ordained.
The OCU is facing a worsening personnel crisis, now being acknowledged even by representatives of the organization itself. This was reported by the Pershyi Kozatskyi Telegram channel, commenting on a post by OCU activist Denys Tarhonskyi.
According to Tarhonskyi, despite state accreditation for OCU educational institutions, the number of applicants continues to decline.
He also noted that many graduates do not want to receive holy orders.
“All profitable churches are already occupied. Almost no one wants to bear the feat of bloodless martyrdom in hopeless parishes,” the OCU activist complained.
According to him, in cities, many churches are effectively controlled by individual priests who seek to pass parishes on “by inheritance.”
“Not a single ‘extra person’ can get in there,” Tarhonskyi wrote.
He also admitted that many elderly OCU clerics are retiring or dying, while young people are in no hurry to take their places.
“Very often, there is simply no one to replace senior priests in the parishes,” the publicist noted.
According to Tarhonskyi, in some cases one OCU priest is responsible for as many as five or six churches.
At the same time, the activist tried to explain the more stable clergy situation in the UOC by citing “subsidies from pro-Russian sponsors,” while also stating that OCU graduates, after finishing seminary, first and foremost think about survival.
Journalists, in turn, note that despite pressure and persecution, the number of clergy in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church continues to grow, since for many, priestly service remains a spiritual calling and ascetic labor.
As reported by the UOJ, “parishioners” were bused to the Lavra for Epifaniy’s name day.
