The influence of the pandemic COVID-19 on church-religious life and state of public consciousness in Ukraine is considered, and the basic tendencies and contradictions of public reaction to pandemic threats are reviewed. The main focus is on the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and its practical actions to prevent this dangerous infection. In order to study the views on the specifics of parish life and the role of the pastor in the conditions of the coronavirus pandemic, a detailed survey among the clergymen of the same denomination was carried out by questionnaire. The material has been processed within the framework of the project "Social Functionality of Religion in Conditions of Extreme Peril: Ideological-Theoretical and Practical Dimensions" under the state registration number: 0121U109446.