SBU: Metropolitan Arseniy faces up to 8 years in prison
Metropolitan Arseniy in court. Photo: Sviatohirsk Lavra
The head of the press service of the Main Directorate of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Halyna Pryshchepa, commented on the ongoing court process in the criminal case against Metropolitan Arseniy (Yakovenko), the abbot of the Holy Dormition Sviatohirsk Lavra of the UOC, as reported by Ukrinform.
“The court sessions are still ongoing. If there had been a verdict, we would have been informed. Especially since this is a high-profile case,” Pryshchepa said.
The process is taking place in the Sloviansk District Court, and no other court is hearing the abbot’s case.
Metropolitan Arseniy was detained in April 2024 on suspicion of spreading information about the movement and positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He faces 5 to 8 years in prison under Article 114-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
As reported by the UOJ, the court prohibited Metropolitan Arseniy from participating in the trial via video link, despite the fact that transporting the UOC hierarch from Dnipro to Sloviansk poses a threat to his health and life, as well as to the security of the convoy accompanying him, since the route passes through an active conflict zone.
Read also
Greek priest: Sad to see Orthodox Christians fighting each other in Ukraine
Fr. Georgios Katsaounis recalled the historical ties between the Russian and Ukrainian peoples and criticized the Greek Prime Minister’s statement about a “war with Russia.”
Anglican Archbishop: Ban on women's priesthood in RCC is an injustice
After her visit to the pontiff, Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally touched on the topic of women's priesthood in the RCC in an interview and called the ban on it "an injustice."
Greek priest on Pope's visit to Phanar: faith must not be sold
Archpriest Georgios Katsaounis warned that in the modern ecumenical dialogue there are serious risks of diluting Orthodox dogmas.
Greek priest: The principle of papal supremacy in Catholicism is a disease
Archpriest Georgios Katsaounis stated that Western Christianity suffers from the principle of one person's supremacy, and called this a spiritual illness.
In Egypt, Coptic blogger sentenced to 5 years for videos about Christianity
A Coptic blogger was sentenced to five years in prison with hard labor under a blasphemy law for publishing a video about Christianity.
Patriarchate of Georgia denies ROC influence on election of patriarch
Archpriest Andria Jagmaidze stated that rumors about pressure from the Russian Orthodox Church on Patriarch Ilia regarding the selection of a locum tenens are false.