Metropolitan Jonathan: I am accused of being Ukraine's greatest villain

Metropolitan Jonathan. Photo: vinnitsa.info

On June 16, 2023, Metropolitan Jonathan (Yeletskikh) of Tulchyn and Bratslav, during a regular meeting of the Vinnytsia City Court, said that he was accused of being "the biggest villain of Ukraine", reports vinnitsa.info.

"The sentence is passed in the name of Ukraine, and the name of Ukraine must be pure and holy," the UOC hierarch said.

In court, Metropolitan Jonathan is defended by three lawyers: Sergei Rybak, Eugene Cherny, and Igor Chudovsky.
After the hearing, an unidentified activist staged a provocation, shouting insulting words in the direction of Metropolitan Jonathan.

On June 5, 2023, the Vinnytsia City Court began to consider the case of Metropolitan Jonathan of Tulchyn and Bratslav (Yeletskikh).

The hierarch of the UOC is accused under four articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine: Part 2 of Article 109 (actions aimed at a violent change or overthrow of the constitutional order or seizure of state power), Part 1 of Article 110 (an attack on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine), Part 3 of Article 436-2 (justification, recognition as lawful, denial of armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, glorification of its participants) and Part 2 of Article 161 (violation of equality of citizens based on their religious preferences).

As reported, the trial of Metropolitan Jonathan of Tulchyn and Bratslav started in Vinnytsia.

Read also

Archbishop Simeon speaks about situation surrounding Sinai Monastery

The new abbot of the Sinai monastery hopes the issue of recognition by the Egyptian authorities will be resolved soon.

UOC files complaint over arbitrariness in Kuzmyn church seizure – lawyer

Following the forcible seizure of the UOC Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos in the Khmelnytskyi region, a crime report has been filed and court actions have been launched.

Armenian Church hierarch moved from pretrial detention to house arrest

Yerevan’s Court of Appeal granted the defense motion for Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan.

In Baturyn, armed police "guard" convent from nuns and parishioners

Sisters of the St. Nicholas Krupytsky Convent of the UOC and local believers have been denied entry to the monastery grounds for hours, which has been turned into a restricted facility.

UOC's foreign mission reports manipulations around its activities

The Western European Vicariate emphasized that UOC parishes abroad operate independently and were created for the spiritual care of the Ukrainian diaspora.

Clergy meeting of Western European Vicariate of UOC held in Italy

The annual gathering of clergy of the Vicariate took place in the city of Bari under the chairmanship of Bishop Veniamin.