A senior Ukrainian cleric from a church accused of having ties to Moscow appeared in court today, Saturday, in a hearing over allegations that he glorifies Russian forces and fuels religious divisions.
The session was postponed until Monday after Archbishop Pavel of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church complained of health issues. In a video posted on the church's website earlier today, Pavel condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He told a gathering of worshippers on Saturday morning, "People may think differently about what is said about me. I await God's judgment. I am not afraid."
Pavel's court appearance follows his questioning by the Ukrainian security service, which presented him with a series of accusations regarding the same issue shortly before. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the second largest church in the country, has been accused of maintaining links to the Russian Orthodox Church, which supports the invasion and is traditionally considered its mother church.
Pavel, a senior official in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and head of the "Kyiv Pechersk Lavra," a 980-year-old monastery complex, was told by the government last week that the church must leave the site. The church has so far refused to comply with this order.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church claims it severed all ties with the Russian church in May 2022. The Ukrainian security service reported that there are open criminal cases since early 2022 against 61 clerics from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The service added that among the seven convicted, two were exchanged for Ukrainian prisoners of war in prisoner exchange operations with Russia.
