Kiev, September 20, 2019
Photo: foma.ru
On February 5, His Grace Bishop Gideon of Makarov briefed a group of U.S. Congressmen on the facts of the discrimination that the canonical Ukrainian Church faced at the hands of the Ukrainian state under President Petro Poroshenko. He also spoke about how representatives of the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” flagrantly violate international law and the Ukrainian constitution and about the violent activities of Ukraine’s various radical organizations.
Returning home to Ukraine on February 13, His Grace, who also serves as the abbot of the ancient Tithes Monastery in Kiev, was detained at the airport and ultimately had his passport taken from him and his citizenship canceled. He was deported back to America, where Bp. Gideon also holds citizenship.
Having been forcibly separated from his flock for seven months, Bp. Gideon experienced a change in fortune yesterday, as the District Administrative Court of Kiev found the State Migration Service’s decision to revoke his citizenship to be illegal and canceled the decision. Proceedings had been ongoing since April 23.
The court’s ruling was published yesterday by thebabel.net.
The court ordered Migration Service officials to make the necessary legal changes and to reimburse Bp. Gideon for his court fees.
In March, Bp. Gideon addressed letters to President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, calling on them to protect not only his democratic rights, but those of the entire Ukrainian people. He noted in his letters that the supposed January 24th decision to invalidate his passport was clearly forged after he spoke to the U.S. Congress in March, as he had used his passport without incident after January 24.
