A cleric of the Khust Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church who defected to the schismatic group has been suspended from ministry

Metropolitan Mark of Khust and Vynogradiv issued an official decree suspending Hieromonk Nestor (Medvedchuk), a monk of the Holy Trinity Monastery, from the ministry. The decision took effect immediately due to serious violations of church discipline.

According to the press service of the Khust Diocese of the UOC, Decree No. 82 of June 10, 2026, was signed regarding the cleric who served at the monastery in the city of Khust-Gorodilovo. The grounds for such a severe measure were violations of the priestly oath, breach of vows, and apostasy.

The text of the document specifically emphasizes that Hieromonk Nestor’s actions are regarded as a betrayal of the Holy Church of Christ. According to the rules established by the diocesan administrator, the ban takes effect immediately upon the signing of the decree. At this time, official representatives of the diocese are not providing any additional comments regarding the possibility of reinstating the cleric to ministry in the future.

As a reminder, we previously reported that Hieromonk Nestor Medvedchuk, a cleric of the Khust Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, defected to the schism and transferred to the jurisdiction of the OCU. The decision to accept him into the Mukachevo-Carpathian Diocese of the OCU was approved on June 9, 2026, during a meeting at the residence of the OCU hierarch in Uzhhorod.