A priest from Bukovina fled abroad and announced his return from the OCU to the UOC-MP

Vasyl Kovtash, a priest from the Chernivtsi region who had previously joined the OCU, announced in a video message his intention to return to the jurisdiction of the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate. 

According to the Chernivtsi-Bukovina Diocese of the OCU, the clergyman was barred from conducting divine services as early as September 28 due to his illegal crossing of the border with Moldova and his refusal to return to Ukraine. 

Representatives of the OCU note that before leaving the country, Kovtash borrowed large sums of money from parishioners and colleagues, and they cite the financial payments made by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) to support its clergy as the reason for his decision to change jurisdictions. For his part, the priest publicly apologized to the leadership of the UOC-MP and published Metropolitan Meletios’ decree lifting the ban on his ministry.

Source: ZAXID.NET.

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