In the Voznesensk Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, a priest who defected to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine has been barred from ministering

Metropolitan Alexy, head of the Voznesensk Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, decided to relieve Archpriest Roman Mikhailiuk, rector of St. Michael’s Church in Pervomaisk, of all his duties and suspend him from the ministry. The disciplinary action was imposed after the cleric, together with the parish community, announced their transfer to the OCU.

In an official decree from the diocesan leadership published on ( ), the reasons for the punishment are cited as a violation of the priestly oath, inappropriate conduct, and entering into a second marriage while in holy orders. The document emphasizes that the punishment is based on the 26th canon of the Holy Apostles and the 6th canon of the Council of Trullo.

Roman Mykhailiuk himself claims that the decision to suspend him from ministry was made by the diocesan administration only after a parish meeting had been held, at which a decision to change jurisdiction had been adopted. This is not an isolated case: earlier, it became known of a similar suspension from ministry involving a cleric in the Mukachevo Diocese who had also joined the OCU.

As a reminder, earlier, Metropolitan Theodore of Mukachevo and Uzhhorod officially suspended Archimandrite Seraphim (Rastvorov) from the priesthood; he had previously served at the Pokrovsky Monastery in Rakoshino. The reason for this decision was the cleric’s transfer to the jurisdiction of the OCU, which the diocese regarded as a violation of church discipline.