Metropolitan Longin says he has been forbidden to take orphans under his care
Metropolitan Longin (Zhar). Photo: Bancheny Monastery
On 12 August 2025, following a hearing at the Hertsa District Court in Bukovyna, Metropolitan Longin (Zhar) stated that, while the investigation is ongoing, he is not allowed to take orphans under his care. A video of his address was published on the Bancheny Monastery’s YouTube channel.
According to Metropolitan Longin, the court refuses to grant permission either to him or to the monastery brethren to take children or disabled persons into their care.
“This court in Hertsa does not want to allow giving children under protection. Everyone is refused. Like a criminal, I no longer have the right,” he stressed.
Moreover, the hierarch is effectively deprived of the ability to protect and care for children living in the orphanage. He is not even allowed to accompany them to a medical facility, and any surgical operation requires the signature of the legal guardian.
“Today the time has come when we have no right to live in this state, to have the rights that everyone else has. We must endure a little longer. The Lord will deliver us from our enemies, visible and invisible,” the Bancheny Metropolitan added.
As the UOJ reported, another court hearing was held in Hertsa in the case of Metropolitan Longin.
Read also
Priests and laity of Rivne Eparchy donate blood for children with cancer
In Rivne, the UOC clergy and laity have donated blood for children undergoing treatment for cancer.
Kyiv seminary students meet with People’s Artist Larisa Kadochnikova
Students of Kyiv’s theological schools spoke with the legend of Ukrainian cinema, who shared her memories of filming "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors".
Bancheny Monastery reports provocation
The UOC monastery in Bancheny has reported a provocation by unidentified individuals.
Romanian Church to hold joint prayer for peace in Ukraine
On the fourth anniversary of the beginning of the war in Ukraine, special prayers for an end to the hostility will be offered in all churches of the Romanian Patriarchate, both in the country and abroad.
Armenian bishops call on authorities to stop Church persecution
At a meeting in Austria, hierarchs of the Armenian Apostolic Church reaffirmed their faithfulness to Catholicos Karekin II of All Armenians and called on the authorities to stop the persecution of the clergy.
Italian media: Ukrainian authorities persecute the country’s largest confession
The Italian outlet L’Identità reported on mass searches, the arrests of clergy, and the ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which it describes as the largest Church in Ukraine.