Onufriy Berezovsky

Metropolitan Onufriy of Kyiv
His Beatitude Onufriy, Metropolitan of Kiev and all Ukraine Блаженнійший Онуфрій, Митрополит Київський і всієї України
Metropolitan Onufriy in 2014
Native name	Орест Володимирович Березовський
Church	Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)
Metropolis	Kiev and All Ukraine
Elected	13 August 2014
In office	17 August 2014
Predecessor	Volodymyr Sabodan
Personal details
Born	Orest Volodymyrovych Berezovsky (1944-11-05) 5 November 1944 Korytne, Vyzhnytsia Raion, Chernivtsi Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Education	Doctor of Theology
Alma mater	Moscow Theological Academy

Metropolitan Onufriy (Onuphrius, secular name Orest Volodymyrovych Berezovsky; Template:Lang-uk; Template:Lang-ru; born 5 November 1944) is the primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), holding the title of Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine.

Biography

He was born 5 November 1944 in Chernivtsi Oblast as the son of a priest. In 1961 he graduated from high school. From 1962 to 1964 he studied at the Chernivtsi technical school, after which he worked in construction organizations in Chernivtsi. In addition to his native Ukrainian, he also speaks Russian and Romanian.

In 1966, he joined the technical faculty of the Chernivtsi University, and in 1969, after the third year, entered in the second class of the Moscow Theological Seminary; the following year, he became part of the brotherhood of the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius.

March 18, 1971, he was tonsured a monk with the name Onufriy, in honor of St. Onuphrius the Great. June 20, 1971, he was ordained a hierodeacon. May 29, 1972, ordained a hieromonk.

After 18 years, Archimandrite Onufriy went back to Ukraine as the superior of the Pochayiv Lavra of the Holy Assumption.

In 1988, he graduated from the Moscow Theological Academy as a candidate in theology.

Meeting on celebrations for the 200th anniversary of the birth of Taras Shevchenko, Kyiv, Shevchenko park, 9 March 2014

On July 20, 1988, he was appointed Father-Superior of the Dormition Pochayiv Lavra.

On December 9, 1990, he was consecrated Bishop of Chernivtsi and Bukovyna by Metropolitan Philaret (Denysenko) at the St Volodymyr's Cathedral in Kyiv.

On 22 January 1992, Onufriy signed a request of the bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II for the erection of an autocephalous Church in Ukraine, and on January 23 Onufriy was transferred by Metropolitan Philaret (Denysenko) to the Ivano-Frankivsk diocese.

Onufriy in Kyiv, 8 May 2016

April 7, 1992 was restored by the Diocese of Chernivtsi, and served in this diocese for 23 years.

July 28, 1994 Onufriy was elevated to the rank of archbishop and appointed a permanent member of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox church.

November 22, 2000 Onufriy was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan.

November 23, 2013 Onufriy was awarded by Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Vladimir the right to wear the second Panagia.

February 24, 2014 the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church elected Onufriy by secret ballot locum tenens of the Kyiv metropolitan see, following the issuing of a medical certificate concerning the incapacity of Volodymyr, the Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine, to perform the duties of the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

On 13 August 2014 Onufriy was elected the new primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine of the Moscow Patriarchate (succeeding Metropolitan Volodymyr).

In February 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, along with other local bishops (such as the rival Epiphanius), he offered churches of his diocese as shelters from the bombings.

Views

Metropolitan Onufriy has referred to Ukraine's aspirations to join the European Union as a "tragedy".

Onufriy has voiced his support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Onufriy refused to stand up when the Ukrainian parliament honoured the Ukrainian fighters of the War in Donbass (against pro-Russian unionists), but later commented about it. In August 2014 Onufriy stated that there were no priests in the Ukrainian Church who supported separatism. His Church has mostly abstained from commenting on the 2014–15 Russian military intervention in Ukraine.

In February 2016 he said that "in a situation of continued military confrontation in eastern Ukraine, we emphasize that we unfailingly stand on the side of peace and support all peace initiatives of the Ukrainian authorities".

On the first day of the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine Onufriy called the war "a disaster" stating that "The Ukrainian and Russian peoples came out of the Dnieper Baptismal font, and the war between these peoples is a repetition of the sin of Cain, who killed his own brother out of envy. Such a war has no justification either from God or from people." He also expressed "our special love and support to our soldiers who stand guard and protect and defend our land and our people. May God bless and cherish them!".

External links

• "Metropolitan Onufry Berezovsky Elected as the Locum Tenens of the Metropolitan Diocese of Kiev | Voices from Russia". 02varvara.wordpress.com. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-13.
• "Metropolitan Onufry of Chernovtsy and Bukovina elected Locum Tenens of Metropolitanate of Kiev - News | Orthodoxy Cognate PAGE". theorthodoxchurch.info. Retrieved 2014-03-13.