Archbishop Job (Iov Smakouz)

Job (Iov)

Archbishop Iov of Shumsk, Rector of the Pochaiv Theological Seminary

A bishop of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, vicar of the Ternopil Eparchy.

On September 25, 2018, by decision of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, he was appointed Bishop of Shumsk, vicar of the Ternopil Eparchy, and rector of the Pochaiv Theological Seminary.

The persecution of Archbishop Iov began during another wave of repression by the Ukrainian authorities against Orthodox Christians.

In November 2022, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies launched an unprecedented campaign of terror and searches in diocesan administrations, churches, and monasteries of the UOC.

Almost every week, officers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) carried out searches in places of worship, justifying their actions by “security measures”.

On December 9, 2022, following searches at the Pochaiv Theological Seminary, the SBU served the hierarch with a notice of suspicion.

According to a publication by the outlet Babel, “the searches were conducted within the framework of criminal proceedings under the article on violation of the equality of citizens depending on their racial or national affiliation or religious beliefs”.

Journalists reported that Archbishop Iov allegedly had “Russian-language literature” which he supposedly used “to promote Russian values and anti-Ukrainian propaganda”.

Photographs from the scene show that the searches were apparently conducted in the seminary library, and that two books with library cards were in Russian.

(Source: Babel)

The SBU claimed that Archbishop Iov allegedly disseminated posts on social media (Facebook) that “humiliated the national honor and dignity of Ukrainians” and “contributed to the incitement of religious discord”.

Sources from the SBU cited by Babel deliberately spread false information by claiming the discovery of “Russian literature”. This is evidenced by the articles imputed to the hierarch.

The bishop was charged under Part 1, Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine for alleged calls to hatred on social media.

(Source: Official website of the SBU)

The hierarch was convicted.

(Source: Unified State Register of Court Decisions)