Bukovynian clergy to Zelensky: Do not strike at millions of believers
To deprive His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of citizenship, the priests warn, would not only violate Ukraine’s Constitution – it would wound the hearts of millions of faithful.
The clergy of the Storozhynets Deanery of the Chernivtsi-Bukovynian Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, in an open appeal to President Volodymyr Zelensky, expressed their deep concern over reports of a possible attempt to strip His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Ukrainian citizenship. Published on August 15, 2025, the statement voices deep alarm and heartfelt protest on the part of the UOC faithful.
“We know His Beatitude Onuphry as a man of deep prayer, great faith, true patriotism, and sacrificial love for Ukraine,” the clergy wrote.
Their appeal recalls how, throughout the brutal full-scale war, Metropolitan Onuphry never abandoned his country. He remained in Kyiv, shoulder to shoulder with his flock, strengthening the people in prayer, word, and deed. He personally brought aid to the wounded, the displaced, the sick; he gave generously from his own means; and under his example eparchies and parishes across Ukraine opened volunteer centers, shelters, and aid stations that continue their work to this day.
“His Beatitude Onuphry is our guide, our spiritual beacon,” the appeal proclaims. “To strip such a shepherd of citizenship is falsehood, it is injustice, it is a brazen violation of the Constitution of Ukraine. It would be a direct blow against millions of believers who look to His Beatitude not only as their spiritual father but as the very image of a true Ukrainian – one who remained with his people through their darkest hours.”
The priests called upon Zelensky, as guarantor of the Constitution, to resist disinformation and political intrigue, and not to make what they described as “a tragic mistake.”
They pleaded with him to “show the wisdom of a statesman and restore justice.”
The warning is unmistakable: to attack the citizenship of the Primate of the UOC is to strike at the faithful themselves.
Earlier, the head of the Young Republicans of New York spoke out in support of His Beatitude Onuphry.
