Ukrainian court puts Orthodox Church cleric with alleged Russia ties under house arrest

A Ukrainian court has ordered house arrest for a Kyiv-based church cleric who is said to have ties with Russia.

A court in Kyiv on Saturday pronounced the order after finding Metropolitan Pavel guilty of glorifying Russian invasion and stoking religious divisions.

Pavel is the abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery—said to be Ukraine’s most revered Orthodox site. His branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) was previously loyal to Moscow clergy.

Following the court’s ruling, Pavel was made to wear an electronic bracelet near his ankle, despite his objections that he has diabetes. The house arrest will last two months.

“I am accepting this,” he said shortly before the bracelet was attached. “Christ was crucified on the cross, so why shouldn’t I accept this?”, reports AP news agency.

Russia’s TASS state news agency said the court ordered Pavel to live in a village some 40km (25 miles) southeast of Kyiv.

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It comes as Kyiv has been clamping down on the UOC for its alleged pro-Russian stance and ties with Moscow—a charge the church denies. Earlier this week, Pavel had cursed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, threatening him with damnation.

Since the start of 2022, the Ukrainian government has opened criminal cases against 61 UOC clergy, with seven found guilty.

Moreover, the agencies have raided numerous holy sites of the church and allegedly found roubles, Russian passports and leaflets with messages from the Moscow patriarch as proof that some church officials have been loyal to Russia.

Many Orthodox communities in Ukraine have cut their ties with the UOC and transitioned to the rival Orthodox Church of Ukraine after receiving recognition from the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople more than four years ago.

Even though the UOC has insisted that it’s loyal to Ukraine and has denounced the Russian invasion, Ukrainian security agencies believe that some in the church have maintained close ties with Moscow.

(With inputs from agencies)

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