On April 12 and 13, 2023, Georgian and Russian-language Facebook users were disseminating information that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church decided to select new attire for the clergy. Attached to the posts are photos of black robes, and according to the comments, the proposed “teenage” options, which aim to modernize the clergy, are not suitable.
In addition to social networks, information about the selection of new attire for Ukrainian clergy was also disseminated on Russian-language websites (1, 2, 3).
The claim that the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is planning to change the attire of the priests, the visuals of which are given in the circulated photos, is false. The press service of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine denied the information.
Except for pro-Russian Twitter accounts (1, 2, 3) similar information about the new attire of the clergy cannot be found in any other open source.
In order to verify the information, “Myth Detector” contacted the press office of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The press office confirmed that similar claims about the selection of new attire false. According to the press service, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine has not made and is not considering such a decision.
In March and April, a number of false and manipulative claims about the Orthodox Church of Ukraine was disseminated on social media. This process followed the decision of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine to terminate the agreement of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate to use the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra free of charge. Among the disinformation and manipulative posts were claims that Easter divine services were banned in Kyiv, that the Lavra will be turned into a museum, Ukrainians burned down an Orthodox church, a Ukrainian priest congratulated the parish on Easter with a dance, and other messages aimed at discrediting the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
About the Source
Among the Facebook users who disseminated the above-mentioned information about the priests’ new attire, one of the profiles is Eduard Jishkariani, who publishes posts with anti-Ukrainian and anti-Western content. He has disseminated fake news many times in the past, which is why several of the user’s posts have been flagged as false information.
The article has been written in the framework of Facebook’s fact-checking program. You can read more about the restrictions that Facebook may impose based on this article via this link. You can find information about appealing or editing our assessment via this link.
Read detailed instructions for editing the article.
Read detailed appeal instructions
