They took away passport but not Christ, UOC hierarch on Metropolitan Onuphry
Metropolitan Luke of Zaporizhzhia and Melitopol called the revocation of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry’s citizenship an "outrageous injustice" and emphasized that this does not deprive us of faith and the spiritual authority of the UOC pastors. The UOC hierarch wrote about this on his Telegram channel.
"The passport was taken away but not Christ," noted the metropolitan. In his view, this event has an spiritual significance for the faithful children of the UOC.
"It is evident that the Lord has 'taken us seriously': internal upheavals, COVID, full-scale war, legal threat of prohibition, searches, courts, imprisonment, and now direct and undisguised pressure on the Primate," he wrote.
The bishop is convinced that the deprivation of citizenship is "a form of political repression carried out without due legal process and in violation of the Constitution of Ukraine."
Metropolitan Luke highlighted that His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry has repeatedly called for prayers for Ukraine and its people, calling the war a spiritual tragedy.
"Although the state took away his citizenship, spiritual duties — prayer, pastoral care, preaching — remain," the archbishop believes.
The hierarch called to unite around the Primate, continue to pray, support neighbours, and serve, "regardless of the political background".
In his opinion, "this is beneficial to show the electorate the fight against the 'influence of the Russian Federation' within the country," and it also "distracts attention from socio-economic problems."
"In turn, such a step will once again activate discussions on international platforms about Kyiv's violation of the rights of the Orthodox Church and fundamental democratic principles. And this is a blow to the authority of both the state and the government," the bishop said.
The Zaporizhzhia archbishop also notes the benefit to the OCU, emphasizing that this will not expand their influence, weaken the UOC, or simplify the process of parish transitions, as they assume. "We have seen in recent years that violent pressure only causes rejection," he adds.
The bishop reminds that the Church has already gone through similar trials: "“Church history knows many examples where persecution strengthened faith. Christ Himself taught: ‘Blessed are you when people persecute you – ’.” He emphasized that “this is a time to grow stronger in prayer, mercy, and unity”.
In conclusion, Metropolitan Luka calls believers to spiritual resilience: "For us, today's blow is a moment of purification and consolidation, not defeat. It is a call to relate to faith deeper than nationality or formal status. After all, the Church is the Body of Christ, where love remains the main binding thread, and citizenship is only temporary belonging. Beyond our temporary earthly citizenship, we have eternal citizenship — the Heavenly one, where no passport is needed."
As reported by the UOJ, Zelensky commented on the decision to revoke citizenship of the UOC Primate.
