Metropolitan Onufriy (Onuphrius,

secular name A legal name is the name that identifies a person for legal, administrative and other official purposes. A person's legal birth name generally is the name of the person that was given for the purpose of registration of the birth and which then ap ...

Orest Volodymyrovych Berezovsky; uk, Орест Володимирович Березовський; russian: Орест Владимирович Березовский; born 5 November 1944) is the primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), holding the title of

Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine The Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine is the archbishop of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, canonized at the Unification council of the Eastern Orthodox churches of Ukraine, Unifying council of 2018 in Kyiv. History Epiphanius I of 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 Slavic Greek Latin Academy (russian: Славяно-греко-латинская академия) was the first higher education establishment in Moscow. History Beginning The academy's establishment may be viewed as a result of the incorpo ...

; the following year, he became part of the brotherhood of the

Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius (russian: Тро́ице-Се́ргиева ла́вра) is the most important Russian monastery and the spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church. The monastery is situated in the town of Sergiyev Pos ...

. 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 A hieromonk ( el, Ἱερομόναχος, Ieromonachos; ka, მღვდელმონაზონი, tr; Slavonic: ''Ieromonakh'', ro, Ieromonah), also called a priestmonk, is a monk who is also a priest in the Eastern Orthodox Church an ...

. 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 Moscow Theological Academy (russian: Московская духовная академия) is a higher educational institution of the Russian Orthodox Church, training clergy, teachers, scholars, and officials. The Academy traces its origin to ...

as a candidate in theology. Shevchenko 200 anniversary 1

On July 20, 1988, he was appointed Father-Superior of the Dormition Pochayiv Lavra.Metropolitan Onufriy of Chernivtsi and Bukovina elected head of Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)
, Interfax-Ukraine (13 August 2014) On December 9, 1990, he was consecrated Bishop of Chernivtsi and Bukovina by Metropolitan

Philaret (Denysenko) Patriarch Filaret (secular name ''Mykhailo Antonovych Denysenko'', born 23 January 1929) is a Ukrainian religious leader, currently serving as the primate and Patriarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate. The Orthodox Church ...

at the St Volodymyr's Cathedral in Kyiv. On 22 January 1992, Onufriy signed a request of the bishops of the

Ukrainian Orthodox Church The history of Christianity in Ukraine dates back to the earliest centuries of the history of Christianity, to the Apostolic Age, with mission trips along the Black Sea and a legend of Saint Andrew even ascending the hills of Kyiv. The first Chr ...

Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia The Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' (russian: Патриарх Московский и всея Руси, translit=Patriarkh Moskovskij i vseja Rusi), also known as the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, is the official title of the Bishop of Mo ...

Alexy II for the erection of an autocephalous Church in Ukraine, and on January 23 Onufriy was transferred by Metropolitan

to the Ivano-Frankivsk diocese. Onuphrius (Berezovsky),Kyiv 2016 13

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

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 A locum, or locum tenens, is a person who temporarily fulfills the duties of another; the term is especially used for physicians or clergy. For example, a ''locum tenens physician'' is a physician who works in the place of the regular physician. ...

of the Kyiv metropolitan see, following the issuing of a medical certificate concerning the incapacity of

Volodymyr Volodymyr ( uk, Володи́мир, Volodýmyr, , orv, Володимѣръ) is a Ukrainian given name of Old East Slavic origin. The related Ancient Slavic, such as Czech, Russian, Serbian, Croatian, etc. form of the name is Володимѣръ ...

, 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 On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

, 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 The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

as a "tragedy".Russian Orthodox Church lends weight to Putin patriotism
,

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(21 August 2015) 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.Patriarch Filaret: Moscow church does not serve needs of people
, Kyiv Post (2 October 2014) 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

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!".

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Berezovsky, Onufriy 1944 births Living people People from Chernivtsi Oblast 20th-century Eastern Orthodox bishops 21st-century Eastern Orthodox bishops History of Christianity in Ukraine First Hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) Russian Orthodox bishops of Kyiv