Former UOC Cleric Sues Metropolitan Feodosiy

On June 11, the Sosnivskyi District Court of Cherkasy Region held another hearing in the case against Metropolitan Feodosiy of Cherkasy and Kaniv, a hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The plaintiff is former UOC priest Iosif Zasansky, who joined the OCU structure in November last year. Metropolitan Feodosiy is accused of “insulting religious feelings of believers” and “inciting religious hatred” under Part 1 of Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. This was reported by the local outlet “18000”.

The accusations are based on the metropolitan’s “critical statements” directed at a cleric who had joined the schismatic structure.

Zasansky claims that the metropolitan allegedly called him “Judas the traitor” after his transition to the OCU. He also disputes the church status of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos parish in Cherkasy, where he currently serves. According to him, the church “was never a monastery.”

However, church sources confirm that in 2023, the Holy Synod of the UOC decided to establish a men’s monastery on this parish. Nevertheless, state authorities refused to grant official registration.

It is worth noting that on June 11, Metropolitan Feodosiy was unable to attend a liturgy dedicated to the feast day of St. Luke of Crimea — the heavenly patron of the city of Cherkasy and the Zolotonosha region. The reason was his court appearance scheduled for the same day.