The release of Metropolitan Jonathan: the Vatican interference?

Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki, Pope and Sviatoslav Shevchuk. Photo: UOJ

On the eve of the Feast of the Holy Trinity, it was reported that Metropolitan Jonathan of Tulchyn and Bratslav was granted freedom. This news was published late Saturday evening on the website of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. According to the publication, it was revealed that Patriarch Kirill had facilitated the release of Metropolitan Jonathan. No other facts shedding light on this event were made public.

Questions of legality: Was there an exchange?

On 18 June 2024, the Vinnytsia Court of Appeal upheld the verdict of the first-instance court, according to which Metropolitan Jonathan, the head of the Tulchyn Eparchy, was sentenced to five years in prison with property confiscation.

To avoid imprisonment, which for the 75-year-old hierarch would be a death sentence, the bishop was offered a prisoner exchange. For this, Metropolitan Jonathan had to sign a document recognizing himself as an enemy of the Ukrainian state. As is known, the hierarch refused to sign this document, firstly because he did not admit his guilt; and secondly, because such a signature could be used by enemies of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, who would be quick to declare that "all UOC hierarchs are enemies".

However, despite the lack of any confirmation that Metropolitan Jonathan agreed to an exchange, he was released. This fact raises several questions for us, the foremost being: on what basis does the Ukrainian government decide who is guilty and who is not, who deserves freedom and who deserves prison? The second question is even more intriguing as it touches upon the issue of external influence on decision-making within the country, and the third concerns the position of the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine.

Influence of the Catholic Church

Almost a year ago (in August 2023), Patriarch Kirill of Moscow appealed to the heads and leaders of Churches and religious organisations, requesting them to advocate for the arrested Metropolitan Jonathan. This appeal was made so long ago that no one, at least in Ukraine, expected any response from the addressees. However, on 23 June 2024, the bishop was released. Naturally, the question arose – how?

The leader of the "World Union of Old Believers", Leonid Sevastyanov, claimed that the bishop's release was achieved through the personal intervention of the Pope. Allegedly, the Pope (or someone on his behalf) contacted the Ukrainian authorities and arranged for the release of the UOC hierarch, who had been sentenced to five years in prison.

This statement, despite coming from a person not generally deemed trustworthy, seems too unusual to dismiss outright. Especially given the fact that no other reasons for the bishop’s release have been disclosed so far.

Let's abstract from our respected Metropolitan Jonathan and try to view the situation from a legal standpoint. In other words, does anyone in Ukraine have the right to make decisions that directly contradict the rulings of Ukrainian courts and, by extension, the laws (assuming that Ukrainian courts act in accordance with the country's laws)?

Suppose a person has been convicted of a serious crime by a court and sent to prison, who can overturn this court decision without conducting any official procedures and outside the judicial process? According to the current legislation of the Ukrainian state, no one can do this. However, in the case of Metropolitan Jonathan, we see that there is nothing impossible due to just one call from the Vatican.

The Pope and Ukraine: Why hasn't the RCC been banned yet?

Naturally, this raises the question of the influence of the Catholic Church on Ukraine’s political circles and the country’s top leadership. This question becomes even more pressing considering that over the past two years, we have repeatedly witnessed the Catholic Church and the Pope himself doing things that would not be forgiven for anyone else.

Let us recall how the Pope called Russia a great country and praised its culture. Let us remember how the Pope urged Ukrainians to raise the white flag of surrender. We also know that the Vatican did not sign the crucial Swiss "Peace Summit" documents for Ukraine and saw representatives of the Holy See engaging in negotiations, acting as mediators between Ukraine and Russia.

These facts alone are enough to ban any organisation in Ukraine whose representatives engaged in similar activities. If the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Onufriy, had said even 10% of what the Pope has said, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church would no longer exist on the territory of Ukraine at all.

However, the Catholic Church not only continues to exist but also has a significant influence on our country's top leadership. Why? The question remains open.

Persecutions of the UOC: fabricated accusations

The second point related to the release of Metropolitan Jonathan is that those accusing the UOC of all sorts of visible and invisible crimes, claiming that some hierarchs, clergy, and laity are encroaching on Ukraine's territorial integrity and supporting Russian aggression against Ukraine, and holding them in custody for all this, are fully aware that the criminal cases against the UOC are, in fact, a fiction and a lie. The trials against UOC believers, hierarchs, laity, and priests are a parody of justice, with outcomes predetermined. Moreover, these outcomes can be dictated or overturned at any moment by a simple call from "above" (we witnessed this in the case against UOJ journalists, when an invisible force explained to the judge over the phone that he was right, and the journalists were guilty).

The Ukrainian authorities know that UOC hierarchs are not criminals. Deep down, prosecutors, judges, and SBU investigators understand that they are persecuting UOC representatives simply because the political climate demands it, simply because there is a political order and a created demand for an "enemy".

There are no other reasons for the persecution of our Church. Only politics and the desires of certain individuals who understand perfectly well that in civilized countries, persecuting someone for dissent is unacceptable, and having a point of view that differs from the majority's is not a crime.

This is precisely why the Ukrainian authorities so calmly released Metropolitan Jonathan, whom they themselves were supposed to jail for five years. They released him because they know he is not guilty and because, perhaps, someone from the Vatican requested it. And why not fulfill the request of a good man?

Conclusions

1. If Metropolitan Jonathan's release became possible thanks to the intervention of the Pope, it underscores the significant influence of the Vatican on certain decisions in Ukraine.
2. From the beginning, the case against Metropolitan Jonathan was fabricated: evidence was planted, and he was accused of things he had no involvement in. His release from prison is shrouded in mystery, highlighting the deceit within our judicial system. There was no official announcement of an exchange, amnesty, or dropping of charges, casting doubt on the legality of his release and raising questions about the adherence to legal procedures.
3. The Metropolitan Jonathan case also demonstrates how political pressure can influence Ukraine’s judicial system, forcing it to make decisions that contradict its own laws and rulings. Moreover, we see that the Ukrainian authorities believe they have the right to manipulate the law as they please, effectively trampling it.
4. Additionally, the potential influence of the Catholic Church on Ukrainian politics is a significant concern. The Pope's statements about Ukraine and his possible involvement in the release of Metropolitan Jonathan emphasize that the Vatican's political interests are closely intertwined with Ukraine, which may influence the internal affairs of our country.
5. Finally, the release of Metropolitan Jonathan, despite the accusations against him, shows that the Ukrainian authorities act extremely inconsistently. This also indicates that the charges against UOC hierarchs are politically motivated rather than based on real evidence of crimes.

The fact that the bishop is free is undoubtedly the will of God. We hope that Metropolitan Jonathan will continue to serve the Church of Christ for many years.

However, the situation with his release clearly shows that in a country where the impossible becomes possible with one phone call, it is worth reflecting on the real power of law and justice and asking the question: who really governs the country?

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