Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has removed Metropolitan Nestor of Korsun and Western Europe from his position, ostensibly for being an avid poker player.

The church announced in a press release that it had initiated a formal investigation into Nestor, who oversaw church activities in countries such as France, the UK, Spain, and Italy, Dagens.com reported on MSN on Nov. 11.

The Russian Orthodox Church, also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses within Russia and is the dominant church in the country..

The duties of the Metropolitan have been temporarily assigned to another bishop, Metropolitan Mark of Ryazan according to reports.

Still, according to the report, some people believe the poker story could just be an excuse.

Nestor has spoken out against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, something for thieh the Russian patriarchate has shown strong support in the past.

In 2022, Nestor released a statement with a Spanish Catholic leader, calling for peace and an end to the war.

He also refused to remove a priest in Madrid who had spoken out against the war, even though Patriarch Kirill had suspended the priest.

Nestor later met with a Ukrainian bishop who the Moscow church considers a traitor.

The church has not officially stated why Nestor was removed, but reports suggest it may be due to his alleged poker habit, the news site reported.

Nestor has competed in international poker tournaments using his real name, Yevgeny Sirotenko.

Online reports have shown him at poker tables and his total winnings are reported to be over $47,000.

Orthodox Church rules say clergy are forbidden from gambling or even going to gambling venues.

According to the report, these are ancient church laws, and breaking them could result in Nestor losing his priesthood.

The church is also investigating whether the bishop used church money during his travels.