UOC-KP re-admits former OCU cleric who married abbess
Fomenko had previously defected from the OCU to the UOC-KP, but Filaret expelled him.
UOC-KP "Patriarch" Nikodim announced the admission into his structure of "priest" Andriy Fomenko, "who resides and carries out his ministry in Germany."
Fomenko became well known in 2020 when, while serving as a cleric of the OCU, he married Kleopatra Muzychko. Muzychko, in turn, is the former abbess of the St. Nicholas Monastery in Zaporizhzhia, who fled the monastery, stealing all the money and valuables. After that, Kleopatra was received into the Zaporizhzhia Eparchy of the OCU.
Following the scandalous marriage to the abbess, which became public due to publications by a matchmaking agency, Andriy Fomenko was suspended in the OCU and joined Filaret's UOC-KP. However, after learning the details, Filaret expelled Fomenko from his structure in July 2020, describing him as having been “admitted by mistake.”
It remains unknown which particular denomination Andriy Fomenko was affiliated with in his religious activities during that period and up until his readmission to the UOC-KP. On his Facebook page, he describes himself as a chaplain.
Previously, the UOJ reported that the OCU suspended a "priest" for attempting to transfer to another eparchy.
