Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church

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Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church
Metropolitan Macarius (last primate)
Language
HeadquartersKyiv, Ukraine
TerritoryUkraine
Possessions
Founder1st All-Ukrainian Orthodox Church Assembly
Origin1921 (first), 1942 (second), 1989 (third)
RecognitionFull communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople restored in October, 2018
Polish Orthodox Church (1942–1946)
SeparationsUAOC in diaspora
UAOC in exile
Merged intoOrthodox Church of Ukraine
Defunct1936 (first), 1944 (second), December 15, 2018 (third)
Members3 million

The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC;

Moscow Patriarchate without approval of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
.

It was re-established for the third time on 22 October 1989, right before the

During the UAOC and the UOC-KP's existence, only the UOC-MP enjoyed recognition by the Orthodox Christian community worldwide, until 11 October 2018, when the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople lifted the excommunication which afflicted the UAOC and the UOC-KP.[2] It was clarified on 2 November that the Ecumenical Patriarchate recognized neither the UAOC nor the UOC-KP as legitimate and that their respective leaders were not recognized as primates of their churches.[3][4]

History

The

Kyivan Rus in the time of Grand Prince Vladimir the Great (988 AD). Missionaries were sent from Constantinople to instruct the people in the Byzantine-Orthodox faith. Monastic life flourished, including in the famous Kyiv Monastery of the Caves, through the efforts of St. Anthony of Kiev, known as the father of Russian monasticism
.

The sacking of Kyiv itself in December 1240 during the

Grand Duchy of Moscow continued to grow unhindered, the Orthodox religious link between them and Kyiv remained strong. The fall of Constantinople in 1453, allowed the once daughter church of North East, to become autocephalous, with Kyiv remaining part of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. From that moment on, the Churches of Ukraine and Russia went their own separate ways. The latter became central in the growing Russian Tsardom, attaining patriarchate in 1589, whilst the former became subject to repression and Polonization efforts, particularly after the Union of Brest in 1596. Eventually the persecution of Orthodox Ukrainians led to a massive rebellion under Bohdan Khmelnytsky
, and united the Ukrainian Hetmanate with the Russian Tsardom, and in 1686, the Kyivan Metropolia came under the Moscow Patriarchate. Ukrainian clergy, for their Greek training, held key roles in the Russian Orthodox Church until the end of the 18th century.

In the wake of the breakup of the

Ukrainian National Republic
in 1917 and survived in Soviet Ukraine until the early 1930s.

Reestablishment in late 1980s

Revival of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church took place in late 1988.

Philaret (Denysenko)
.

On February 27, 1989, a group of Lviv priests of the

Volodymyr Yarema in the diocesan administration. However, strict sanctions against the authors of the letter were not applied due to the difficult situation in the diocese, where it became obvious that the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
would soon come out of the underground.

The Russian Orthodox Church Lviv Metropolitan

Nicodemus (Rusnak) (1921-2011), previously expelled from Argentina for espionage for the Soviet Union,[5] was ready to support efforts to obtain autocephaly on the condition that local Greek Catholics, who had begun to emerge from the underground, join the newly forming Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.[5] He sent Archpriest Volodymyr Yarema and priest Ivan Pashula for negotiations with Volodymyr Sterniuk, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in catacombs.[5] However, Bishop Sterniuk refused to join the Church (UAOC), which will not recognize the jurisdiction of the Roman bishop.[5]

On 19 August 1989, at the Holy Liturgy in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in Lviv, which was first held in Ukrainian, Archpriest Volodymyr Yarema read the appeal of the Initiative Committee for the revival of the UAOC, which proposed:[5]

  1. To create regional committees for the revival of the UAOC for their subsequent merger into the All-Ukrainian Orthodox Council.
  2. In your parishes, gather parish meetings, by the decision of which declare your refusal to obey the Russian Orthodox Church.
  3. Inform the regional committees about your unshakable loyalty to your native UAPC.
  4. Commemorate His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrios I at all divine services.

Priest Bohdan Mykhailechko, head of the Initiative Committee, took part in the service and addressed the faithful with a statement of support for the initiative of the church of St. apostles Peter and Paul in Lviv. He emphasized: "Moscow did not have and cannot have any jurisdiction over our Church."

Wasyly (Fedak) with a message about the change of jurisdiction.[5] The collection of signatures for the application in the name of the Commissioner for Religious Confessions at the Lviv Regional Executive Committee, Yuliyan Reshetyl, was completed.[5]

On October 22, 1989, the freelance bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, Ioan Bodnarchuk, arrived in Lviv at the invitation of the clergy to lead the communities that had transferred to the UAOC. He conducted the Divine Service, after which he ordained a deacon, a graduate of the Lviv Polygraphic Institute, Yuri Boyko, who was elected to the first democratic city council of Lviv. Thus, he entered the canonical management of the UAOC communities. Priests of the Lviv Region, led by Bishop Ioan, held the first diocesan council.

The church regained state recognition in 1991, which is known as the "third resurrection" of the UAOC. Initially it was governed from abroad by

Patriarch Dymytriy Yarema
.

In November of 1991, the Ukrainian Autocephalous Ukrainian Church had 14 eparchies, 11 bishops (episcopes) and 1,600 parishes.[5]

On October 16, 2000, the Church Sobor in Ukraine elected Metropolitan

Methodius (Kudriakov) of Ternopil
to lead the church.

The Patriarchal Cathedral of the UAOC is the historic

Bartolomeo Rastrelli. Although used for regular liturgical services of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, the edifice had previously been a part of the historical park "Sofia-Kyiv." The Ukrainian government returned the church to the legal possession of the UAOC on 21 May 2008.[6]

11 October 2018 decision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate

On 11 October 2018, after a regular

Metropolitan Makariy of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC), and both bishops were "canonically reinstated to their hierarchical or priestly rank, and their faithful [...] restored to communion with the Church."[2][9]

It was later clarified that

Makariy as "the former Archbishop of Lviv"[11][12] and, on 2 November 2018, that the Ecumenical Patriarchate did not recognize neither the UAOC nor the UOC-KP as legitimate and that their respective leaders were not recognized as primates of their churches.[3][13] The Ecumenical Patriarchate declared that it recognized the sacraments performed by the UOC-KP and the UAOC as valid.[14][15]

Dissolution and merger with the UOC–KP into the OCU

On 15 December 2018, the hierarchs of the UAOC and the UOC-KP decided to dissolve them both. This was done because on the same day, the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate, and some members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) were going to merge to form the Orthodox Church of Ukraine after a unification council.[16]

Makariy declared in an interview published on 23 May 2019 that neither the UAOC nor the UOC-KP had been dissolved: "Some government officials spoke incorrectly when they publicly declared that the Kyiv Patriarchate was liquidated." He explained that Philaret submitted only copies of documents, not the originals necessary in order to liquidate the UOC-KP. Macarius added: "When I was asked to hand over the documents for liquidation, I replied that until I see the originals from the other side, I will not turn in mine."[17][18]

On 14 August 2019, the UAOC legally ceased to exist because it merged with the OCU.[19][20]

On 14 December 2019, after the meeting of the enlarged Bishops' Council, held on December 14 in Kyiv on the occasion of the anniversary of the

UOC-KP had been completed the day before. He added: "Such structures no longer exist. In confirmation of that, in the State Register there is marked 'activity DISCONTINUED'".[21]

Primates

1921–1936

In 1921, with the establishment of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, the Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine was considered the primate of the church. This system continued until 1936 when, due to Soviet pressure, the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church was forced into emigration, with some of its members emigrating to the United States. The primates from 1921 to 1936 were:

  • Vasyl Lypkivsky, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine (1921–1927)
  • Mykola Boretsky, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine (1927–1930)
  • Ivan Pavlovsky, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine (1930–1936)

1942–1944

In 1942, UAOC was re-established with help of the

Soviet regime and remained structured only in the Ukrainian diaspora
.

  • Polikarp (Sikorsky)
    , Archbishop of Lutsk and Volhynia, temporary administrator (1941–1944)
  • Dionizy (Waledyński)
    , Metropolitan of Warsaw and all Poland (1923–1960), proclaimed (not enthroned) Patriarch of all Ukraine (1944–1960)

In diaspora (Europe), 1945–1990

  • Polikarp (Sikorsky)
    , former Metropolitan of Lutsk and Volhynia, Primate of UAOC in diaspora (1945–1953)
  • Nikanor (Abramovych)
    , former Archbishop of Kyiv and Chyhyryn, Primate of UAOC in diaspora (1953–1969)
  • Mstyslav (Skrypnyk)
    , Metropolitan of New York and all the USA, former Bishop of Pereyaslav, Primate of UAOC in diaspora (1969–1993)

1990–2018

In 1990 the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church was reinstated in Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church in diaspora Metropolitan Mstyslav was enthroned as a patriarch. Since 2000, the church primate has been the Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine.

  • Metropolitan Ioan
    (Vasyl Bodnarchuk), Metropolitan of Lviv and Galicia, former Bishop of Zhytomyr and Ovruch, Primate of UAOC (1989–1991)
  • Patriarch Mstyslav
    (Stepan Skrypnyk), Patriarch of Kyiv and all Rus-Ukraine (1991–1993)
  • Patriarch Dymytriy
    (Volodymyr Yarema), Patriarch of Kyiv and all Rus-Ukraine (1993–2000)
  • Metropolitan Mefodiy
    (Valeriy Kudriakov), Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine (2000–2015)
  • Metropolitan Makariy
    (Mykola Maletych), Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine (2015–2018)

Metropolitan Epiphany of Kyiv and All Ukraine was elected primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine on 15 December 2018.[1]

Local councils

  • 25-26 June 1992 (Kyiv) – 10 bishops
    • Unification with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
    • Formation of the united church, Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate
    • Confirmed election of Patriach Mstyslav of Kyiv as the primate of the church
  • 7 September 1993 (Kyiv)
    • Revival of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church
    • Election of new primate
  • 14-15 September 2000 (Kyiv)
    • Election of new primate

Enthronizations

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Metropolitan Epifaniy (Dumenko) becomes Primate of One Local Orthodox Church of Ukraine". risu.org.ua.
  2. ^ a b c d Chief Secretariat of the Holy and Sacred Synod (11 October 2018). "Announcement". The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Константинополь: "Надеемся, Москва обратится к разуму". Подробности беседы". BBC News Русская служба. 2018-11-02. Retrieved 2018-11-03.
  4. ^ Cazabonne, Emma (6 November 2018). "BBC interview with Archbishop Job of Telmessos on the Ukrainian question". orthodoxie.com. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o From the history of UAOC. uaoc.lviv.ua
  6. ^ "Андріївська церква в Києві". Archived from the original on 2014-07-15. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
  7. ^ Polityuk, Pavel; Dikmen, Yesim (11 October 2018). "Ukraine wins approval for historic split from Russian church". Reuters. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  8. ^
    UOC MP
    will join the new Church. 10 out of 90 UOC MP bishops signed the appeal for autocephaly to the Ecumenical Patriarch – only 11%. But separate priests could join even if their bishops don't, says Zuiev.
  9. ^ "Constantinople recognizes Kyiv Patriarch Filaret as church bishop". KyivPost. 11 October 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2018. The Kyiv Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church are planning to merge with pro-independence bishops of the Moscow Patriarchate into an independent (autocephalous) Ukrainian church, which is expected to get a tomos — a Synod decree recognizing the independence of the Ukrainian church from the Constantinople church. "This decision gives us the opportunity to unite with bishops of the Moscow Patriarchate who are willing (to join)," Filaret said on Oct. 11.
  10. ^ "Phanar considers Filaret an ordinary bishop without an episcopal see". spzh.news. 14 October 2018. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
  11. ^ a b "ΑΠΟΚΛΕΙΣΤΙΚΟ | Βαρθολομαίος σε Ονούφριο: Δεν μπορείτε να έχετε πλέον τον τίτλο Κιέβου". ROMFEA (in Greek). 7 December 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  12. ^ a b "Phanar – to His Beatitude: You will remain Metropolitan till the Council". spzh.news. 7 December 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  13. ^ Cazabonne, Emma (6 November 2018). "BBC interview with Archbishop Job of Telmessos on the Ukrainian question". orthodoxie.com. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  14. ^ "Exarch: Constantinople recognizes all clergy of KP and UAOC as canonical". spzh.news. 16 October 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-18.
  15. ^ "Constantinople recognized all clergy of KP and UAOC as canonical—Patriarchal Exarch". OrthoChristian.Com. 16 October 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
  16. ^ "Киевский патриархат и УАПЦ самораспустились перед Собором". РБК-Украина (in Russian). 15 December 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-16.
  17. ^ "Makary Maletich: We won't dissolve the UAOC until Philaret dissolves the KP". OrthoChristian.Com. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 2019-05-25.
  18. ^ "Если такое безобразие продолжится, мы можем потерять Томос - митрополит Макарий". Апостроф (in Russian). 23 May 2019. Retrieved 2019-06-13.
  19. ^ "Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church ceases to exist". www.interfax-religion.com. 14 August 2019. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
  20. ^ "Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church ceases to exist | KyivPost - Ukraine's Global Voice". KyivPost. 2019-08-14. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
  21. ^ "Митрополит Епіфаній оголосив про юридичне припинення існування УПЦ КП та УАПЦ". risu.org.ua. 14 December 2019. Retrieved 2019-12-14.
  22. ^ Украинская Автокефальная Православная Церковь. risu.ua. 20 June 2011

External links