Priest Yevgeny Zotov was relieved of his posts as a rector of the UOC churches in Farbove and Bohdanivka, Kyiv region, for an attempt to cause a split in the parish.

Priest Yevgeny Zotov was relieved of the post of rector of this parish and banned from priesthood without the right to participate in the Holy Mysteries of Christ for joining the OCU and trying to cause a split in the UOC community in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God in the village of Farbovane, Yahotyn district, Kyiv region, the Boryspil diocese reports on its official website.

According to a decree signed by the ruling bishop of the diocese, Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) of Boryspil and Brovary, Zotov is prohibited from ministry “on the basis of canons 10, 11 and 39 of the Holy Apostles, the 2nd canon of the Council of Antioch, for backsliding into schism and gross violation of the oath of a clergyman.” Also, the banned priest was relieved of his concurrent positions as rector of the parish of the UOC in honor of the holy apostles Peter and Paul in the village of Bohdanivka, Yahotyn district, Kyiv region.

Recall that the priest Yevgeny Zotov gathered ten people among his supporters, who were documented as “ten” and re-registered the community. However, the UOC community in Farbovane chose to remain under the omophorion of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry. The believers asked the ruling bishop to appoint a new rector for them.

As the UOJ reported, the priest who had joined the OCU explained why his supporters do not go to church.