Priest Andriy Pinchuk banned from ministry

Archpriest Andriy Pinchuk at a meeting with OCU clerics at the St. Sofia of Kyiv. Photo: Pinchuk's Telegram channel

Archpriest Andriy Pinchuk of the Dnipropetrovsk Eparchy has been banned from ministry by a decree of Metropolitan Iriney of Dnipropetrovsk and Pavlohrad, reports the website of the Dnipropetrovsk Eparchy.

The text of the decree reads that Pinchuk was banned according to the letter of His Beatitude Onuphry regarding "destructive non-canonical actions contrary to the church order – holding meetings of the clergy of various eparchies in the territory of the Sarno Eparchy without the blessing of the ruling bishop, as well as repeated similar actions in the territory of the Kyiv Eparchy".

As stated in the text, Archpriest Andriy Pinchuk is dismissed from his post as rector of the St Michael Church of the village of Volosske and is banned from ministry. All the property and documentation of Fr Andriy is to be handed over to the newly appointed rector.

Pinchuk himself said on his TV channel "Jolly Priest" that he was banned "of course, illegally and due to slander".

As earlier reported, the UOC members were collecting signatures to ban Andriy Pinchuk from the priesthood.

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