The Hierarch of the UOC Accused of Issuing "Fake Certificates" to Clergy of the Church Seized by OCU Supporters in Bila Tserkva

The Secretary of the Bila Tserkva Diocese of the OCU, Mykola Hopaynych, accused Metropolitan Augustine (Markevych) of the UOC of allegedly issuing fake certificates for the clergy of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral in Bila Tserkva. According to the secretary, these certificates were issued after the cathedral was «transferred under the administration of the OCU following a decision by the Bila Tserkva City Council» in July 2023. Mykola Hopaynych wrote about this on his Facebook page.

He also noted that the certificates, dated 2024, are legally invalid because by the time they were issued, the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral already belonged to the OCU community. According to him, «since July 2023, Metropolitan Augustine and his entourage have had no relation to the cathedral.»

«It is well known that since July 2023, the cathedral belongs to the community of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, so Metropolitan Augustine no longer has the right to issue such certificates,» emphasized the OCU representative. He also added that the OCU does not issue such documents, and the individuals who received them do not have the right to serve in the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral.

Mykola Hopaynych believes that these certificates are being used to protect UOC clergy from being drafted into the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He pointed out that these certificates could mislead the representatives of the Military Commissariat, as not all of them have a clear understanding of ecclesiastical ranks. Therefore, he urged law enforcement authorities to pay attention to this incident and conduct an appropriate investigation.

Earlier, it was reported that the «chaplain» of the OCU, Roman Gryshchuk, once again called for the complete expulsion of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the territory of Ukraine. As he noted, for the sake of spiritual unity and Ukraine’s security, it is necessary to «completely expel the structures of the Moscow Patriarchate from the country.»