Resolution of the Bishops’ Council of
the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of November 13, 2018
The Bishops’ Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, convened at the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra on November 13, 2018, after hearing His Beatitude Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Onoufrios about the challenges that have recently arisen before the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, resolved as follows:
1. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is canonical and recognized by the Local Orthodox Churches, performing its service to God and the people of Ukraine, supports, as a matter of principle, the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is present in all regions of Ukraine and unites both the controlled and uncontrolled territories of the Ukrainian government, sharing all the joys and tribulations with its people.
2. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is vested with all the rights of independence and self-governance, which today are necessary to fruitfully serve God and the people of Ukraine.
3. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has always consistently advocated for the healing of the schism, the restoration of church unity, i.e. for one Church. Notwithstanding, the restoration of the unity of Ukrainian Orthodoxy should not imply the transformation of the Church into an element of either policy or propaganda, since this is not consistent with the nature of the Church. We are of the conviction that bridging the Church divide should occur without the intervention of the state, political or other external forces.
4. The Bishops’ Council opposes any attempts to change the name of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is already being publicly stated by some high officials of the state, as well as any other manifestations of discrimination of believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church at the legislative level. In the event of adoption of such draft laws by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church will defend its rights by all legal means enshrined in the “The Basis of the Social Concept of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church”, Ukrainian legislation and the European Convention on Human Rights.
5. The Bishops’ Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church believes that the decisions of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople of October 11, 2018 as regards the Ukrainian church question are invalid and such that have no canonical power. In particular, the decision to establish the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the territory of Ukraine is the result of exploitative interpretation of church history. Likewise, the decision to lift the anathema and other church prohibitions from the leaders of the schism and to recognize the validity of the pseudo-consecrations that they have performed while being in schism, is the result of a distorted interpretation of Orthodox canons. The history of the Orthodox Church does not know precedents when a schism was overcome by means of its mere legalization. Having made such anti-canonical decisions, having recognized the schismatics in their existing ranks, the Patriarchate of Constantinople, according to church rules, embarked himself on the path of schism. In this regard, the Eucharistic communion of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with the Patriarchate of Constantinople is currently impossible and terminated.
6. We consider unacceptable the unlawful interference of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the internal affairs of another Local Church and attempts to solve the Ukrainian church question with the participation of the state and schismatics, ignoring the voice of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Instead, we regret to say that hundreds of thousands of appeals of the believers of our Church to Patriarch Bartholomew with a call not to legitimize the schism under the pretext of creating autocephaly have been ignored.
7. The Bishops’ Council notes that the process of providing the so-called Tomos on autocephaly, which is artificial, imposed from the outside, and such that does not reflect the internal ecclesiastical necessity, will not bring real church unity, will deepen the division and intensify conflicts among the people of Ukraine. Under these conditions, we deem impossible the participation of the episcopate, clergy and laity of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in this process.
8. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, as a matter of principle, abides by the canonical approach to overcoming the Church division. The necessity of repentance of those who return from the schism underlie this approach. The doors of the Church have never been closed before those who want to be a spiritually perfect Orthodox Christians.
9. The Bishops’ Council states that the illegal actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople lead to a deep ecclesiastical crisis both in Ukraine and in world Orthodoxy. We pray that the voice of the multimillion flock of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is heard, and the recent actions of the Constantinople Patriarchate are rectified.
10.The Bishops’ Council calls upon the Patriarchate of Constantinople to hold dialogue with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church together with the fraternal participation of all Local Orthodox Churches in order to address this problem in a conciliar manner.
11.The Bishops’ Council requests the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Onoufrios to appeal to the Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches concerning the crisis of the church life in Ukraine, which has emerged following the illegal intervention of the Constantinople Patriarchate.
12.The Bishops’ Council calls upon all children of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to amplify prayers, preserve unity with one another, fidelity to the Holy Church of Christ, and not be afraid of possible ordeals, remembering the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: “be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
DECISION 17
OF THE HOLY SYNOD OF THE UKRAINIAN ORTHODOCX CHURCH
AS OF SEPTEMBER 25, 2018
The Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine, Onuphrius
CONCIDERED the appointment of the “Exarchs” by the Patriarchate of Constantinople to Kyiv:
RESOLUTION:
1. Express concern over the appointment of the “Exarchs” by the Constantinople Patriarchate to Kyiv and consider this a ruthless interference in the internal affairs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and violation of its canonical territory.
2. Call on the Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I to stop interference in the internal affairs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and not to violate its canonical territory.
3. To consider the activity of the “Exarchs” of the Constantinople Patriarchate as anti-canonical and that which violates the inter-confessional peace in Ukraine.
4. The “Exarchs” of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Archbishop Daniel of Pamphylia and Bishop Hilarion of Edmonton, must leave the canonical territory of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
5. Episcopate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to suspend concelebration with the hierarchs of the Constantinople Patriarchate.
6. The clergy, monastics and laity of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to strengthen their prayers for preserving the unity of the Holy Orthodoxy.
DECISION 18
OF THE HOLY SYNOD OF THE UKRAINIAN ORTHODOCX CHURCH
AS OF SEPTEMBER 25, 2018
The Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine, Onuphrius
CONSIDERED legislative initiatives of the Verkhovna Rada [Parliament] of Ukraine.
Note:
A number of anti-constitutional bills are under consideration at the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, in particular, Nos. 4128 (on the change of subjection of religious communities), 4511 (on the special status of religious organizations), 5309 (on the change of the names of religious organizations), the purpose of which is their further application against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
On September 20, 2018, in his annual address to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko supported the intention to change the name of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
RESOLUTION:
1. Consider that the bills Nos. 4128 (on the change of subjection of religious communities), 4511 (on the special status of religious organizations), 5309 (on the change of the names of religious organizations) are aimed at the legal liquidation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church by its hostile takeover through the change of its name, illegal interference in its governance bodies and seizure of its property (shrines, churches and monasteries).
2. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is a religious association that is registered and operates in accordance with Ukrainian legislation, and any coercion whatsoever to change its name is illegal and qualifies as an interference in the internal affairs of the Church.
3. Alert that the adoption of the aforementioned bills will artificially divide people and turn millions of Ukrainian citizens into strangers in their own country, while they are believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
4. Call on all those involved in the implementation of these initiatives to abandon these legislative initiatives as they contradict the Constitution of Ukraine and are anti-church.