I was neither interested in it nor used it, - Metropolitan Onufriy of UOC-MP admits he had Russian citizenship
Metropolitan Onufriy (Berezovsky) of Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate said that he had previously owned Russian citizenship, emphasizing that now he only has a Ukrainian passport.
As informs Censor.NЕТ, such a statement was posted by the UOC-MP press service.
The text of the statement reads: "In response to the statement of the correspondent of the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper Mykhailo Tkach (dated 7.04.2023) that I have Russian citizenship, I would like to immediately state that I do not consider myself a citizen of Russia."
In particular, Onufriy said that in his third year of study at Chernivtsi State University, he decided to leave his studies and enter the Theological Seminary to become a priest.
"There were three theological seminaries in the Soviet Union at that time: Moscow, Leningrad, and Odesa. As a Ukrainian, I wanted to enter the Odesa Theological Seminary, but I was rejected because I had dropped out of the university and this would supposedly be a stain on the Ukrainian atheist society, which had not even fostered the spirit of an atheist in me at the university. Then I secretly went to Russia, to the city of Zagorsk, where the famous Trinity-Sergius Lavra was located, and the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary was attached to it. There, I was not rejected, as I was in Ukraine, but accepted into the second year of the Moscow Theological Seminary. I, a sinner, am infinitely grateful to St. Sergius, the founder of this Holy Monastery, for accepting me when my family turned away from me, when I was on the verge of despair," he said.
Onufriy said that while studying in the third grade at the Theological Seminary, he joined the brotherhood of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra and took monastic vows in 1971. After that, he spent nineteen years within the walls of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra.
"Our monastery was international. People of different nationalities were ascetic in it: Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Moldovans, Georgians, Armenians, Jews, French, Tatars, Mordvins, and many others. We had a wonderful spiritual family, we respected each other, worried about each other and helped each other. I was happy and dreamed of living in the holy monastery for the rest of my life. However, God judged differently. In 1988, I was transferred to Ukraine to the Holy Dormition Pochayiv Lavra, and later, in 1990, to my native Bukovyna," the Metropolitan noted.
According to Onufriy, he actually had Russian citizenship, but he was never "interested" in it and after the collapse of the USSR obtained Ukrainian citizenship.
"At this time, the Soviet Union collapsed and I, having previously been a de facto citizen of Russia (because I had a permanent residence in Russia, which in modern terms meant citizenship), obtained a Ukrainian passport. My Russian citizenship was automatically renewed, but I was not interested in it and did not use it, it did not matter then, and no one persecuted me for it," he said.
However, after relations between Russia and Ukraine deteriorated, Onufriy decided to renounce his Russian citizenship.
"Ukraine and Russia had good fraternal relations. When these relations began to deteriorate, especially in the last ten years, I renounced my Russian citizenship. I don't have a Russian passport. This was especially confirmed when I spoke out against Russia's war with Ukraine and condemned Russian aggression. I consider myself a citizen of Ukraine only," the Metropolitan emphasized.
He also explained why he had not paid attention to his Russian citizenship for a long time.
"I, a sinner, lived in the Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra for 18 years, there I took monastic vows, was born for a new life in Christ, there I touched living holiness, those people who were the embodiment of divine humility and love, and I had a desire to complete my life among such people of God, and citizenship opened up the opportunity to realize this dream. Unfortunately, the bad relations between Russia and Ukraine, the collapse of the CIS, and especially Russia's war against Ukraine destroyed my hope, and now I do not consider myself a citizen of any other country but my native Ukraine. I don't know how politicians consider me, but I consider myself to be one. I do not have a Russian passport," Onufriy emphasized.
"But I am not a boor. I don't spoil a barrel of honey with a spoonful of tar, as is required of me, I separate tar from honey, evil from good. I condemn Russia's war against Ukraine and consider it a disgrace to angels and humans, but I am deeply grateful to those Russians who accepted me when my Ukraine turned away from me. I am grateful to God that in Russia I met people who are kind, sincere, and God-loving, and I want to be like them today. The world lives on such people. I know that even today, in Russia, as well as in Ukraine, there are many good and wonderful people who do not speculate on war, but sincerely condemn it as a phenomenon that does not bring people together, but rather divides them. May there be more of them than those who approve of the war or warm their hands on it. May the Lord forgive us all, enlighten us, and bless us," the Metropolitan summarized.
