Metropolitan Onufry, the head of the UOC-MP, admitted that he had previously had a Russian passport, but assured that he “was not interested in and did not use it” and considers himself a citizen only of Ukraine.
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This is stated in the statement of Onufry, published on the website of the UOC-MP, which was a reaction to the results of a high-profile journalistic investigation about the possible presence of Russian citizenship among church leaders.
According to the metropolitan, he received a Russian passport automatically as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union, insofar as he had a permanent residence permit on the territory of Russia.
At that time, the Soviet Union collapsed and I, being a de facto citizen of Russia before (because I had a permanent residence permit in Russia, which in modern terms meant “citizenship”), took a Ukrainian passport. At the same time, Russian citizenship was automatically continued, but I was not interested in it and did not use it, then it did not matter, and no one was prosecuting for it, he stressed.
According to him, “there were good fraternal relations between Ukraine and Russia.”
When these relations began to deteriorate, especially in the last ten years, I left Russian citizenship. I don’t have a Russian passport. This was especially confirmed when he spoke out against the war between Russia and Ukraine and condemned Russian aggression. I consider myself a citizen of only Ukraine,” he assured.
Onufriy, a native of the Lviv region, noted that, having decided to become a priest, in 1969, after the third year of the Chernihiv State University, he entered the theological seminary.
According to him, he sought to study at the Odessa Theological Seminary, but he was refused there, citing the fact that he left his studies at the university and this would be a stain on the Ukrainian atheistic society.
Then I secretly went to Russia, to the city of Zagorsk, where the famous Trinity-Sergius Lavra and the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary were located. They didn’t expel me there, as they did in Ukraine, but they accepted me into the second class of the Moscow Theological Seminary,” he stressed.
Subsequently, he joined the brotherhood of the Holy Trinity Lavra of Sergei and in 1971 received monastic tonsure.
I was happy and dreamed of living in a holy monastery all my life. However, God judged otherwise. In 1988, I was transferred to Ukraine, to the Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra, and later, in 1990, to my native Bukovina, he noted.
According to him, he “did not pay attention to Russian citizenship,” because, having lived in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra for 18 years, he had “a desire to end his life among such God’s people,” and citizenship “opened up the opportunity to fulfill this dream.”
Unfortunately, bad relations between Russia and Ukraine, the collapse of the CIS, especially Russia’s war against Ukraine destroyed my hope, and now I do not consider myself a citizen other than my native land – Ukraine. I don’t know how politicians think of me, but I consider myself that way. I don’t have a Russian passport,” he stressed.
Recall that recently the UOC-MP stated that Onufriy “is a citizen of Ukraine from birth and does not own passports of other states.”
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.