A document on admission into the Church from Ukrainian schismatic structures has been approvedtranslated

The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, at a meeting on October 22, 2026 (journal No. 83), approved the document “Instructions for the acceptance from Ukrainian schismatic structures of persons wishing to join the Russian Orthodox Church.”

This document was developed by the Synodal Missionary Department “in response to requests from diocesan missionary departments of dioceses located in the Donbass and Novorossiya and reporting that they need instructions for actions when converting persons in Ukrainian schismatic groups.”

The draft document was agreed upon with the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, which made changes and additions to it.

The “Instructions” were approved by the Synod as a guide for clergy of the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The text of the document lists Ukrainian non-canonical religious entities as “Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church” (UAOC), “Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate” (UOC-KP), “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” (OCU).

The document also lists three forms of joining schismatics.

If a person was baptized in the Orthodox Church and then fell into schism, he is accepted...