Metropolitan Onuphrius: Biography of the New Primate of the UOC
New Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate
One of the most influential churches of the country was headed by a consistent opponent of European integration.
Metropolitan Chernivtsi and Bukovinsky Onufriy (Berezovsky) today elected the new head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.
The UOC MP received a new head of the church after the previous primate metropolitan Vladimir died on July 5.
Voting for the new head of the church was held in two rounds. After the 1st round, the leaders' votes were distributed as follows: Metropolitan Chernivtsi and Bukovinsky Onufry - 36, Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary - 24, Metropolitan of Vinnitsa and Mogilev-Podilskyi Simeon - 9.
In the second round, 48 Bishops of the UOC voted for Metropolitan Onufry.
The hereditary priest
Metropolitan Onufry (Orest Vladimirovich Berezovsky) was born on November 5, 1944 in the village of Korytnoye Vashkovetsky, now Vizhnitskogo, Chernivtsi region in the family of a priest.
In 1961 he graduated from high school, and from 1962 to 1964 he studied at the Chernivtsi Technical School, after which he worked in construction organizations in Chernivtsi.
In 1966 he entered the general technical faculty of the Chernivtsi University, and in 1969, after the third year, entered the second class of the Moscow Theological Seminary, which he graduated in 1972.
The future metropolitan since 1970 for 18 years was in the fraternity of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, where in parallel with his studies he carried various obediences (singing in the choir, standing behind a candle box, was a clerk of the governor).
He was tonsured monk on March 18, 1971 with the name of Onufry in honor of the Monk Onuphrius the Great.
In 1972 he entered the Moscow Theological Academy and graduated in 1988 with a degree of candidate of theology, which was awarded for his work on the theme "Pastoral Ministry of the Monk Job, Hegumen Pochaevsky."
From July 20, 1988 to November 1990 - the governor of the Pochaev Lavra.
From the bishop to the metropolitan
By decree of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on November 24, 1990, Onuphrius is determined to be Bishop of Chernivtsi and Bukovina.
On January 22, 1992, he refused to sign the appeal of the Bishop's meeting of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II about granting the autocephaly of the Church in Ukraine and on January 23 was transferred by Metropolitan Philaret to Ivano-Frankivsk.
April 7, 1992 was restored at the Chernivtsi department.
On May 27-28, 1992, he took part in the Kharkov Council of the Ukrainian Church, taking, along with the majority of the bishops, an uncompromising position in relation to the deposed and faithful anathema at the cathedral of Filaret.
July 28, 1994 was elevated to the rank of archbishop and appointed permanent member of the Holy Synod of the UOC.
November 22, 2000 was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan.
Until December 14, 2007 he was the head of the Synodal Canonical Commission of the Ukrainian Church. Then he was appointed chairman of the Church Court of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
On February 24, 2014, the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Onufriy was elected to the position of locum tenens of the Kiev Metropolitan Department in connection with the illness of Metropolitan Volodymyr.
Later he took up his post after Vladimir's death.
Pro-Russian Candidate
Onuphry is considered a pro-Russian candidate.
In the Church it is said that Bishop Onuphrius is a firm supporter of canonical unity with the Russian Orthodox Church.
Onufry does not support Ukraine's Eurointegration.
For a quarter of a century after the godlessly persecuted people with a poor, afflicted people, we revive the faith of Christ in our land and strengthen our Church, and Europe shows us a concrete example of life without Christ. There they do not pay attention to the commandments of the Lord, to His prohibitions. On the contrary, there is more and more encouraged permissiveness, according to which life is sanctified not by God's law, but by human desires. But this is the wrong way. Unfortunately, not all the desires of man are holy, Metropolitan Onufry
He also called for peace in the Donbass, while calling the separatists "brothers and co-religionists."
We bury our soldiers in all regions of Ukraine, we bury and militiamen of Donetsk and Lugansk, because both of them are our co-religionists and brothers. The Church daily prays for peace, calls to it. In Kiev, our monks stood between the warring sides and stopped the slaughter, it is impossible to do this in the Donbas, as no one knows where and when it will begin., Metropolitan Onuphry
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