UOC-KP re-admits former OCU cleric who married abbess

An OCU cleric marrying an abbess who stole money from a monastery in Zaporizhzhia. Photo: open sources

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 his scandalous marriage to the abbess, which became public through posts by a marriage agency, Andriy Fomenko was suspended by the OCU and transferred to Filaret’s UOC-KP. However, after learning the details, Filaret expelled Fomenko from his structure in July 2020 as having been “accepted 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.

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