UOC Episcopate Appeals to President Zelensky Over Stripping of Primate’s Citizenship
As of July 9, 45 hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have signed the appeal.
JULY 9, 2025 — Following reports of a Presidential Decree stripping the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy, of Ukrainian citizenship — a development that has caused widespread concern among the faithful — the UOC hierarchs have issued an open letter to President Volodymyr Zelensky urging him to reconsider the decision. The Church’s Information and Education Department announced the appeal on July 9, 2025.
The full text of the appeal, as published by the Union of Orthodox Journalists:
OPEN LETTER OF THE EPISCOPATE OF THE UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
To the President of Ukraine
Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelensky
Dear Mr. President,
We, the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, address you with sincere and at the same time deeply troubled words concerning the decision to strip His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy of Kyiv and All Ukraine — a patriot, citizen, and faithful son of the Ukrainian land — of his Ukrainian citizenship.
His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy is not only the Primate of a Church that serves God and unites millions of Ukrainian citizens, but also a pastor who, at the very outset of the war, expressed his position clearly, decisively, and responsibly. In the first hours of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he publicly condemned it and called on all the faithful to pray and to defend the homeland. He remained here with his flock and blessed our Ukrainian armed forces to protect the nation.
With the blessing and spiritual leadership of His Beatitude, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has, throughout the full-scale war against our state, carried out extensive humanitarian and charitable efforts. Over the years, the Church has gathered and delivered thousands of tons of humanitarian aid, procured medicines, equipment, evacuation vehicles, and medical supplies worth hundreds of millions of hryvnias, and raised significant funds to support war widows and orphans.
Our clergy and faithful serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and defend the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of our nation. Without exaggeration, the UOC under the leadership of His Beatitude Onufriy is today one of Ukraine’s largest charitable organizations.
We seek neither glory nor recognition for this — it is our spiritual and civic duty. But the decision to strip His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy — a sincere Ukrainian, living a thoroughly Ukrainian life — of citizenship has caused pain in the hearts of millions of Ukrainian Orthodox believers.
This is evidenced by the fact that, according to social surveys, the name of our Primate has ranked this year among the most influential figures in Ukraine.
The mission of the Church is not to serve political aims or situations but to reconcile humanity with God. The Church has existed, exists, and will continue to exist regardless of worldly affairs. Its goal is to help each person attain salvation, learn to love others, and live up to the high calling of being “Christian.” This is what His Beatitude Onufriy always emphasizes in his sermons. He is not a politician, but a man of prayer and spirit — as you have personally witnessed in your meetings with him.
His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy has always taken a spiritually and patriotically conscious approach to the fate of our Motherland, Ukraine.
That is precisely why he became the initiator and founder of the historic Council of the UOC held in Feofaniya on May 27, 2022, which fundamentally changed the reality of church life in our country: the Council decided to separate the UOC from the Moscow Patriarchate and expressed disagreement with Patriarch Kirill’s position on the war in Ukraine.
In a statement on the third anniversary of the Council, Metropolitan Onufriy emphasized:
“Unfortunately, after the start of the full-scale invasion, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow fully sided with the Russian political leadership, consistently justifying military aggression against Ukraine.”
Since the beginning of the war, fervent prayers for Ukraine, its government, its heroic defenders, the overcoming of Russian aggression, and the restoration of peace have been offered during every service in every UOC church.
Today, in a time of war, our country and people need peace, harmony, and unity more than ever — not division. Millions of UOC parishioners, who love and respect their Primate, are an inseparable part of Ukrainian society.
Therefore, we ask you, dear Mr. President, to restore justice — an act that would demonstrate not only the strength of the state but also your wisdom.
On behalf of the millions of faithful, clergy, and monastics of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, we respectfully ask you, dear Mr. President, to defend the truth, honor, dignity, and spiritual authority of one of the most respected pastors of the many-million-member UOC, and to reconsider the decision to revoke Metropolitan Onufriy’s citizenship.
We lift up our fervent prayers for you and your family.
May the Heavenly Hosts protect you!
With deep respect,
THE EPISCOPATE OF THE UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
Agafangel, Metropolitan of Odessa and Izmail, permanent member of the Holy Synod of the UOC, Member of Parliament of Ukraine (1st convocation)
Meletiy, Metropolitan of Chernivtsi and Bukovina
Antony, Metropolitan of Boryspil and Brovary
Klyment, Metropolitan of Nizhyn and Pryluky
Avgustin, Metropolitan of Bila Tserkva and Bohuslav
Anatoliy, Metropolitan of Polissia and Sarny
Agapit, Metropolitan of Mohyliv-Podilskyi and Sharhorod
Filipp, Metropolitan of Poltava and Myrhorod
Aleksey, Metropolitan of Balta and Ananiv
Nikodym, Metropolitan of Zhytomyr and Novohrad-Volynskyi
Volodymyr, Metropolitan of Volodymyr-Volynskyi and Kovel
Yevlohiy, Metropolitan of Sumy and Okhtyrka
Feodor, Metropolitan of Mukachevo and Uzhhorod
Volodymyr, Metropolitan of Kamianske and Tsarychanka
Filaret, Metropolitan of Lviv and Halych
Longin, Metropolitan of Bancheny, Hero of Ukraine
Varsonofiy, Metropolitan of Vinnytsia and Bar
Aleksey, Metropolitan of Voznesensk and Pervomaisk
Boholep, Metropolitan of Oleksandriia and Svitlovodsk
Viktor, Metropolitan of Khmelnytskyi and Starokostiantyniv
Oleksandr, Archbishop of Horodnytsia
Iona, Archbishop of Obukhiv
Diodor, Archbishop of Yuzhne
Viktor, Archbishop of Artsyz
Serhiy, Archbishop of Bolhrad
Veniamin, Archbishop of Novosanzhary
Veniamin, Archbishop of Khotyn
Sylvestr, Archbishop of Bilohorodka
Pimen, Archbishop of Rivne and Ostroh
Spyridon, Archbishop of Dobropillia
Amvrosiy, Archbishop of Zghurivka
Nikodym, Archbishop of Liubets
Kyrylo, Bishop of Byshiv
Siluan, Bishop of Hertsa
Feodosiy, Bishop of Ladan
Kleopa, Bishop of Novoselytsia
Mykyta, Bishop of Ivano-Frankivsk and Kolomyia
Yakiv, Bishop of Drohobych
Illarii, Bishop of Svaliava
Arkadiy, Bishop of Hostomel
Alipiy, Bishop of Tarutyne
Anastasiy, Bishop of Ovidiopol
Panteleimon, Bishop of Baturyn
Filaret, Bishop of Baryshivka
Iov, Bishop of Kitsman
As of July 9, the appeal had been signed by 45 UOC hierarchs, with more signatures expected.
As previously reported by the UOJ's Ukrainian branch (SPZh), media outlets have claimed that President Zelensky’s decree revoking Metropolitan Onufriy’s citizenship has been classified.
