Onufriy (Berezovsky)

Metropolitan Onufriy (Onuphrius, secular name Orest Volodymyrovych Berezovsky; Ukrainian: Орест Володимирович Березовський; Russian: Орест Владимирович Березовский; born 5 November 1944) is the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), holding the title of Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine.[1]

Metropolitan Onufriy of Kiev
His Beatitude Onufriy, Metropolitan of Kiev and all Ukraine
Блаженнійший Онуфрій, Митрополит Київський і всієї України
Metropolitan Onufriy
Native name
Орест Володимирович Березовський
ChurchUkrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)
MetropolisKiev and All Ukraine
Elected13 August 2014
In office17 August 2014
PredecessorVolodymyr Sabodan
Personal details
Birth nameOrest Volodymyrovych Berezovsky
Born (1944-11-05) November 5, 1944
Korytne, Vyzhnytsia Raion, Chernivtsi Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
EducationDoctor of Theology
Alma materMoscow Theological Academy

Biography

He was born 5 November 1944 in Chernivtsi Oblast as the son of a priest. In 1961 he graduated from high school. From 1962 to 1964 he studied at the Chernivtsi technical school, after which he worked in construction organizations in Chernivtsi.

In 1966, he joined the technical faculty of the Chernivtsi University, and in 1969, after the third year, entered in the second class of the Moscow Theological Seminary; the following year, he became part of the brotherhood of the Trinity St. Sergius Lavra.

March 18, 1971, he was tonsured a monk with the name Onufriy, in honor of St. Onuphrius the Great. June 20, 1971, he was ordained a hierodeacon. May 29, 1972, ordained a hieromonk.

After 18 years, Archimandrite Onufriy went back to Ukraine as the superior of the Pochayiv Lavra of the Holy Assumption.

In 1988, he graduated from the Moscow Theological Academy as a candidate in theology.

Meeting on celebrations for the 200th anniversary of the birth of Taras Shevchenko, Kiev, Shevchenko park, 9 March 2014

On July 20, 1988, he was appointed Father-Superior of the Dormition Pochayiv Lavra.[1]

On December 9, 1990, he was consecrated Bishop of Chernivtsi and Bukovyna by Metropolitan Philaret (Denysenko) at the St Volodymyr's Cathedral in Kiev.

On 22 January 1992, Onufriy signed a request of the bishop meeting of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II with the requirement to provide autocephalous Church in Ukraine[2], and on January 23 he was transferred by Metropolitan Philaret (Denysenko) to Ivano-Frankivsk diocese.

Onufriy in Kiev, 8 May 2016

April 7, 1992 was restored by the Diocese of Chernivtsi, and served in this diocese for 23 years.

July 28, 1994 was elevated to the rank of archbishop[1] and appointed a permanent member of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox church.

November 22, 2000 was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan.[1]

November 23, 2013 by Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine Vladimir he was awarded the right to wear the second Panagia.

February 24, 2014 the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church elected him by secret ballot for the post of locum tenens of the Kiev metropolitan chair in connection with a medical certificate of inability of Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine to perform the duties of the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

On 13 August 2014 he was elected as the new head of his church as primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine of the Moscow Patriarchate (succeeding Metropolitan Volodymyr).[1]

Views

Metropolitan Onufriy has referred to Ukraine's aspirations to join the European Union as a "tragedy".[3]

Onufriy voiced his support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine.[4] Onufriy refused to stand up when the Ukrainian parliament honoured the Ukrainian fighters of the War in Donbass (against pro-Russian separatists), but later commented it.[3][5] In August 2014 Onufriy stated that there were no priests in his church who supported separatism.[6] His church usually abstained from commenting on the 2014–15 Russian military intervention in Ukraine.[6]

In February 2016 he said that "in a situation of continued military confrontation in eastern Ukraine, we emphasize that we unfailingly stand on the side of peace and support all peace initiatives of the Ukrainian authorities."[4]

References
  1. Metropolitan Onufriy of Chernivtsi and Bukovyna elected head of Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), Interfax-Ukraine (13 August 2014)
  2. After autocephaly, The Ukrainian Week (26 October, 2018)
    (in Ukrainian) The Ecumenical Patriarchate unveiled documents in support of Ukrainian autocephaly, Gazeta.ua (14 September 2018)
  3. Russian Orthodox Church lends weight to Putin patriotism, BBC News (21 August 2015)
  4. "Metropolitan Onufriy tells in Moscow how difficult it is to live in Ukraine". Risu.org.ua. 4 February 2016.
  5. Коментар Блаженнішого Митрополита Онуфрія для ЗМІ (ВІДЕО) - Українська Православна Церква (in Ukrainian). 9 May 2015.
  6. Patriarch Filaret: Moscow church does not serve needs of people, Kyiv Post (2 October 2014)
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