Media report on details of court sentence to Metropolitan Theodosius

In Cherkasy, the Prydniprovsky District Court found Metropolitan Theodosius of Cherkasy and Kaniv guilty of inciting religious hatred and insulting the feelings of citizens. According to media reports, citing the verdict of February 6, the Metropolitan was fined 8,500 hryvnias. The incident is related to his statements to representatives of the OCU after one of the parishes transferred to the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian schism. This was reported by Court Reporter.

The conflict erupted after supporters of the OCU seized the premises of the UOC nunnery in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Cherkasy in 2023. The seizure was led by former UOC priest Joseph Zasansky.

on January 8, 2024, a video message from Metropolitan Theodosius addressed to the community of the seized monastery in Cherkasy was published on the website and social networks of the Cherkasy Eparchy of the UOC. In his speech, the bishop called the OCU clerics and their supporters «invaders» and «slanderers,» saying that their church was «not canonical.» The following phrase caused a special resonance: «There were seven priests, eight under the archbishop, and one of them turned out to be Judas.» Yosyp Zasansky, the only one of the seven priests who joined the OCU, took this statement personally, regarded it as a public humiliation, and appealed to the Security Service of Ukraine. After this speech, Metropolitan Theodosius issued a decree banning Zasansky from ministry.

During the court hearing, Metropolitan Theodosius exercised his right to remain silent, refusing to testify or answer questions. His lawyers tried to prove that in his words the bishop was referring not to Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Christ, but to another apostle, Judas Thaddeus.

Representatives of the OCU explained that their organization received the Tomos from the Patriarchate of Constantinople and is therefore canonical. In this regard, they regarded Metropolitan Theodosius’ statements to them as offensive.

The parishioners of the UOC, for their part, spoke about the forcible seizure of the monastery by people in camouflage uniforms and the forced eviction of nuns. They emphasized that they found peace and support in the sermons of Metropolitan Theodosius after the Christmas service.

Despite the defense’s arguments, the court found Metropolitan Feodosiy guilty and imposed a fine of 8,500 hryvnias. Zasansky demanded to recover 100 thousand hryvnias from the accused as compensation for non-pecuniary damage, citing loss of sleep and time costs. However, the court dismissed the civil claim, finding insufficient evidence that the victim had actually suffered from insomnia or sought medical treatment, and the time spent drafting the claim was not considered to be related to intense mental suffering.

In addition to this case, there are three more charges against Metropolitan Feodosiy pending in the courts related to denying Russia’s armed aggression and inciting inter-religious hatred. The verdicts in these cases have not yet been passed.

Earlier, we reported that the Sosnovsky District Court of Cherkasy rejected the accusations of the regional prosecutor’s office of «Ukrainophobia» and «negative attitude towards the population of Ukraine», which the prosecution put forward as arguments for tightening the preventive measure against the hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Theodosius of Cherkasy and Kaniv. The judge concluded that the prosecutor had failed to substantiate his accusations with facts.