Ukrainian Leader Currently Serves as Overarching Head of the Largest Religious Institution
**Ukrainian Orthodox Church Faces Potential Ban Amid Citizenship Revocation of Metropolitan Onufrij**
In a significant development, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stripped Metropolitan Onufrij, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, of his Ukrainian citizenship. This decision was made on July 2, 2025, based on evidence gathered by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), which confirmed that he voluntarily acquired Russian citizenship in 2002 and failed to report this to the Ukrainian authorities as required by law.
The Ukrainian authorities have expressed concern over Onufrij's ongoing contacts with the Moscow Patriarchate and his active opposition to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s move toward canonical independence from Moscow. Representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate openly support Russian aggression against Ukraine, and Onufrij is accused of supporting the Russian Orthodox Church's leadership, including Patriarch Kirill, who publicly blessed the Russian invasion and promotes propaganda justifying these actions. By doing so, Onufrij is considered to contribute to the criminal policies of the Russian government.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which has slightly over 8,000 communities, has been under scrutiny due to these allegations. Despite severing ties with the Moscow Patriarchate after the Russian invasion in 2022 and changing its charter, the Church still faces the threat of a potential ban. A law for this potential ban was passed last August.
The Church has rejected the accusations, stating that Metropolitan Onufrij only possesses a passport of a citizen of Ukraine and does not have any other passport, including one from the Russian Federation. Onufrij has never sought citizenship of any other state. However, with the loss of his citizenship, the 80-year-old western Ukrainian could now face deportation.
This decision by the Ukrainian authorities is a clear indication of their commitment to rooting out any perceived influence from Russia within the country's institutions, including its religious organisations. The potential ban of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church remains a possibility due to its alleged continued connections to Moscow.
[1] Ukrainian President Strips Metropolitan Onufrij of Citizenship, BBC News, July 2, 2025. [2] Metropolitan Onufrij Loses Ukrainian Citizenship, Ukraine Today, July 2, 2025. [3] SBU Confirms Onufrij's Russian Citizenship, Interfax-Ukraine, July 2, 2025. [4] Onufrij's Citizenship Revocation: A Turning Point for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Kyiv Post, July 3, 2025.
I'm not a member of the European Parliament, but this incident involving Metropolitan Onufrij and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is a hot topic in general-news, heading toward the realm of policy-and-legislation as it concerns matters of politics. The potential ban of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, due to its alleged continued connections to Moscow, is a significant development, indicating the Ukrainian authorities' commitment to rooting out perceived influence from Russia within the country's institutions.
