"You have mental disorders," OCU responds to ex-cleric's request

Dumenko and Yasenets. Photo: Yasenets's Facebook

In response to a request from former OCU cleric Yaroslav Yasenets, who submitted a statement of withdrawal from its structure to Epifaniy, the OCU leadership sent him a letter claiming that he has mental disorders.

The official letter dated November 1, 2025, signed by “Archbishop” Agapit, states: "In view of the receipt by the Kyiv Eparchy of medical certificates indicating the possibility of a mental disorder affecting your behavior, you are required to provide the Kyiv Eparchy with complete and reliable information that would irrefutably confirm the absence of such a disorder on your part..."

The letter also notes that by publicly declaring his withdrawal from the OCU, Yasenets “deprived himself of the right to serve as a clergyman until the circumstances are clarified”.

In response to the letter, Yasents categorically rejected the accusations. He noted that he has a weak nervous system and thin blood vessels in the brain, but emphasized that this is not a disorder. The former cleric called the OCU leadership’s response “an attempt to get personal” and listed various methods of discrediting opponents used in the public sphere. He also stated that he does not intend to return to the OCU structure until the problems he raised in his appeals begin to be addressed.

“Honestly, the response is miserable, I am very disappointed; I expected something more creative. I advise His Grace Epifaniy (if he has decided to pay attention to my humble person) to hire the best researchers to find reasons for discrediting so as not to make a fool of himself,” the former cleric wrote.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Yasenets announced his withdrawal from the OCU, after which he critically and reasonably challenged Dumenko’s structure in several statements.

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