The text of the UOC Holy Synod’s address published

His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy at the Synod of the UOC on December 17, 2018

Following the extraordinary meeting on December 17, 2018, the Holy Synod of the UOC adopted a number of important decisions in light of the situation in the ecclesiastic sphere in Ukraine and made an official statement. The text of the document was published by the UOC Information and Education Department.

“On December 15, 2018, in Kiev, on the territory of the St. Sophia National Reserve of Kiev, the so-called unification council was held, at which it was announced that a new church organization called the Orthodox Church in Ukraine (OCU) was created as a result of the unification of two non-canonical structures of the ‘Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church’ and the ‘Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate’,” the document says.

According to the members of the Synod, this meeting is an association of schismatics and has nothing to do with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

“For our Church, in fact, nothing has changed, since the schismatics remained in schism, and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church remains the true Church of Christ in Ukraine. No one in the world questions the validity of the episcopal and priestly ordinations of the clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the grace of the Sacraments performed in our Church, which cannot be said of the newly formed structure,” the statement says.

Also, the members of the Synod notify regretfully that the Holy Synod had to release from the duties of eparchial administration and forbid the ministry of His Eminence Metropolitan Simeon of Vinnitsia and Bar, and impose a ban on His Eminence Metropolitan Alexander of Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky and Vishnevoye.

“We call upon all of you, dear vladykas, fathers, brothers and sisters, to pray for enlightenment and return to the fold of the Church of the said metropolitans and others who have backslid into schism. Our Church, as a loving Mother, is waiting with hope for their return,” emphasize the authors of the document.

Besides, the Synod notes with regret the fact that the Constantinople Patriarchate became one of the initiators of today's trials for the UOC when it justified its right to interfere in the Ukrainian ecclesiastic affairs arguing that the UOC used to be its jurisdiction.

“In this regard, I would like to remind that the Russian Orthodox Church was compelled to proclaim its autocephaly due to the betrayal of the Orthodox Church by the Patriarchate of Constantinople and signing the union with Rome at the Ferraro-Florence Council in 1439,” emphasizes the Synod of the UOC. “This spiritual treachery of the Orthodox faith also became the main reason for the Kiev Metropolia to cut off from Constantinople. The union made a breakdown in ecclesiastic relations and caused mistrust, which was later aggravated by the fact that for centuries, during the most difficult times, challenges for Orthodoxy in our lands did not evoke proper pastoral concern and assistance from the Church of Constantinople. The Kiev Metropolia, being exhausted from religious confrontation with the Uniates, devastated by wars, especially after the Brest Union in 1596, with the aim of preserving the Orthodox faith, became part of the Russian Orthodox Church at the end of the 17th century. Therefore, the Patriarchate of Constantinople today has no moral and canonical rights to interfere in the internal affairs and spiritual life of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Moreover, the actions of the Constantinople Patriarchate have already led to the fact that the possibility of restoring the unity of the Orthodox in Ukraine has been rejected for a long time, if not forever.”

The Synod of the UOC made a request to further protect the purity of the Holy Orthodox faith, to preserve the spiritual unity of the Holy Ukrainian Church, which is the canonical successor of the ancient Kievan Metropolia.

“We urge all faithful children of our Church to pray for those who, not being aware of this, hate us and our Church. May the Lord forgive them. And may you love your Church, love our Motherland Ukraine and do everything to ensure peace, patience, harmony and true Christian love in our land and among our people,” the Synod of the UOC concluded.

As the UOJ reported, on December 17, 2018, an extraordinary meeting of the Holy Synod of the UOC was held at the Holy Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. The meeting of the Holy Synod addressed issues related to the challenges the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is being confronted with.

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