The Serbian Orthodox Church has said in a statement that it does not recognize the new Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Serbia knows only the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate, the statement added. It described the newly created Ukraine church as forcibly imposed and artificial “confederation” of Ukrainian splitting groups. The Serbian spiritual leaders also called the interference of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople into church affairs in Ukraine as non-canonical, saying that the recent “unifying” council in Kiev was dividing. The Serbian church has called on the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew to reconsider the decision on recognizing the independence of the Ukrainian church.