Khmelnytsky Diocese of the UOC suspends abbot of a monastery where a man died

The press service of the Khmelnytskyi Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church published a decree by Metropolitan Victor of Khmelnytskyi and Starokostiantyniv, according to which the abbot of the Holy Cross Monastery of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Starokostiantyniv, Archimandrite Ioasaf (Gorkavchuk), abbot of the Holy Cross Monastery of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Starokostiantyniv, has been suspended from his duties. This decision was made in connection with an incident that occurred on the monastery grounds the day before, which resulted in the death of a man. The decree states that the deceased was a soldier in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The document was published on the Telegram channel of the Khmelnytskyi Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

«In connection with the notorious incident that occurred on August 3, 2025, on the territory of the Holy Cross Monastery in Starokostiantyniv, which resulted in the death of a soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, for the period of the investigation by law enforcement agencies, Archimandrite Ioasaf (Gorkavchuk) is suspended from his duties as abbot of the Holy Cross Monastery in Starokostiantyniv until the circumstances are fully clarified. For the duration of the investigation and clarification of all circumstances, the monastery will be managed directly by the head of the Khmelnytskyi Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Khmelnytskyi Diocese expresses its sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased Ukrainian Armed Forces soldier!», — the document says.

We will remind you that the day before, the Khmelnytskyi Regional Police published a refutation of the information that a soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had been killed on the territory of the Holy Cross Monastery of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the city of Starokostiantyniv. The source was local city council deputy Serhiy Zhmurko, who wrote on his social media that the abbot of the monastery allegedly beat the Ukrainian Armed Forces soldier to death after drinking alcohol with him.