… one another.” He added: “Forgiveness is the destruction of sin. If there’s no forgiveness, sin isn’t destroyed—it multiplies.”
Metropolitan Onuphry also recalled the saints commemorated that day—the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, young men who hid in a cave rather than renounce their faith during a period of persecution and, according to the account, fell asleep and awoke two centuries later. He said their story illustrates that death is like sleep, from which the faithful will awaken at the Last Judgment.
Following his address, the faithful in attendance personally greeted their archpastor on the anniversary of his enthronement.
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Kiev, August 18, 2026
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church marked the 12th anniversary of the enthronement of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry as primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with a festive Liturgy at the Convent of St. Panteleimon in Kiev yesterday, reports the Information-Education Department of the UOC.
Metropolitan Onuphry presided over the Divine Liturgy at the convent’s main cathedral. He was joined by numerous bishops and clerics of the UOC, including His Eminence Metropolitan Pavel of Vyshgorod, the abbot of the Kiev Caves Lavra, who is one of the many hierarchs facing active persecution from the state.
The service was sung by the choir of the Kiev Theological Academy and Seminary.
During the Little Entrance, Metropolitan Onuphry honored several UOC hierarchs for their service to the Church, elevating Bishop Cleopa of Novoselytsya and Bishop Iakov of Drogobich to the rank of Archbishop.
The Liturgy included special prayers for peace in Ukraine and for refugees and people of good will helping those in need. Metropolitan Onuphry asked God for mercy on the Ukrainian people, that the Lord would grant wisdom to the authorities, strengthen soldiers with courage, free prisoners, heal the sick, and shelter those left without homes.
After the dismissal, Many Years was sung for His Beatitude.
His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil, the UOC’s Chancellor, read out greetings to Metropolitan Onuphry from primates of the Local Orthodox churches around the world, and His Eminence Metropolitan Sergei of Ternopil delivered a greeting on behalf of the Holy Synod.
As of the time of this writing, the UOC has published letters of congratulations from His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije of the Serbian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Rastislav of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of Washington and All America of the Orthodox Church in America, His Beatitude Archbishop Stefan of Ohrid of the Macedonian Orthodox Church-Ohrid Archbishopric, and His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.
Metropolitan Onuphry thanked those present and addressed the gathering. In his homily, he reflected on the shared witness of bishops and faithful alike, saying every bishop, “like every layman, is a witness to Christ crucified and risen,” and that this witness “has to be everywhere and always—among one’s own flock and among the people outside the bounds of the Church.”
He also spoke about forgiveness, telling the faithful he wants God to grant them a good life, “so that we can live our lives in love, patience with one another, respect for one another, forgiveness of one another.” He added: “Forgiveness is the destruction of sin. If there’s no forgiveness, sin isn’t destroyed—it multiplies.”
Metropolitan Onuphry also recalled the saints commemorated that day—the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, young men who hid in a cave rather than renounce their faith during a period of persecution and, according to the account, fell asleep and awoke two centuries later. He said their story illustrates that death is like sleep, from which the faithful will awaken at the Last Judgment.
Following his address, the faithful in attendance personally greeted their archpastor on the anniversary of his enthronement.
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