KYIV. Draft Resolution of the Jubilee Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church made Public

7/7/2011

With the blessing of the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and in order to stop the anti-Church information campaign in the media, and to reassure the faithful and to stop speculations about the Jubilee Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church that will be held at the Holy Dormition Kyiv Lavra of Caves on July 8, 2011, the Organizing Committee for Preparation of the Council made public the draft resolutions of the Jubilee Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
This document was sent to all delegates of the Jubilee Council of the UOC for making amendments and suggestions. The resolution is the only document to be adopted by the Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Draft

RESOLUTION
Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

on July 8, 2011

The Jubilee Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, held by the will of God at the Holy Dormition Kyiv Caves Lavra, on July 8, 2011, on hearing the report of the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv and All Ukraine and summarizing the activity of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the period since the last Council of the UOC on June 26, 1992, resolved:

1. To lift up thanksgiving prayers to God for his mercy to our Holy Church, which after the decades of atheist persecutions of the twentieth century restored its full life and a canonical structure, through the prayers of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First Called, Saints Cyril and Methodius, the Holy Great Prince Vladimir and Princess Olga, the Holy and Right-Believing Prince Yaroslav the Wise, the Holy Kyivan Hierarchs Michael, Hilarion, Peter, Alexius, Peter Mohyla, Filaret, hieromartyrs Macarius, Vladimir and Constantine, and all the new martyrs and confessors, the venerable and God-bearing fathers Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves, Job and Amphilochius of Pochayiv, St John of Svyatogorsk, St Alexius the Carpathian-Russian, St Laurentius of Chernigov, St Kuksha of Odessa and all the saints of our land.

2. To extend gratitude from the plenitude of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to the Primate of the UOC, Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv and All Ukraine, through whose wise guidance and the prayers the saving ship of the Church passes through the turbulent sea of ​​today.
To testify our obedience to Mother Church, and ask her Primate Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv and All Ukraine to continue to be the guarantor of our “unity in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4, 3).

3. To demonstrate once again our prayerful and canonical unity with the Russian Orthodox Church, through which the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is connected to all the Local Orthodox Churches.

4. To raise thanksgiving prayers to God, wonderful in His saints, for having revealed to us his 260 new saints, which glorified our Holy Ukrainian Orthodox Church during the last 19 years. To call on the clergy and faithful of our Holy Church to follow the example of the newly-glorified saints, building churches and monasteries in their honor, and spread their veneration.

5. To approve all the actions and decisions of the Holy Synod and the Council of Bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church that took place between the Councils of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of 26 June 1992 and of 8 July 2011.

6. According to the paragraph 18 Chapter VIII of the “Statute of the Russian Orthodox Church” and paragraph 7 of Part II of the “Statute on governance of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church” the Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church adopts the “Statute on governance of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church” in the version adopted by the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, on July 8, 2011. “Statute on governance of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church” takes effect upon approval.

7. To approve on behalf of the plenitude of the UOC the activities of the Synodal institutions, diocesan bishops, clergy, monastics and faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, aimed at the revival of churches and monasteries, development of the missionary, educational, pedagogical and educational activities, social ministry, service to neighbor and charity. To call upon all the faithful of our Holy Church and continue to grow from strength to strength, so that those who see our good works glorified our Father in Heaven (Mt. 5, 16).

8. On behalf of the plenitude of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to thank the government of Ukraine for good deeds and intentions, for returning churches and monasteries, and the assistance in their revival. To express hope that the tragic events of our church for 90 tumultuous years of the twentieth century have forever gone, that the government and politicians will not try to use the church for fulfillment of temporary earthly interests.

9. In the year of the 20th anniversary of the Independence of Ukraine to raise gratitude to God for His mercy and trials that were revealed to our people and our country, and to call the faithful children of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to intensify their prayers for peace, tranquility and welfare of our people, so that the Lord granted our authorities and army of “peaceful reign, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity ” (1 Tim. 2, 2).

10. On behalf of the plenitude of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to express hope for further constructive development of the church-state relations based on the principles of partnership and mutual respect in order to serve the people of Ukraine and to call on the President of Ukraine, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to help solve to the extent of their powers the following issues:

– to adopt new Law of Ukraine on freedom of conscience and religious organizations that would provide an opportunity for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to acquire the status of legal person, establish her own educational institutions at all levels.

– We consider it necessary to introduce the study of basic Christian ethics, Orthodox culture and the Law of God at schools of all levels from kindergarten to the most prestigious university, and to enable the Church to participate in the training of teachers of religious study, religious, natural and ethical disciplines for public and private schools.

– To create an effective system of protection of public morals and to prevent the propagation of immorality and sin. For spiritual revival and upbringing of the new generations the state should support the development of spiritual and educational information projects on television, radio and other media.

– To join the state administrative and ecclesiastical moral potential for overcoming poverty and serving to neighbor, especially the elderly, the orphans, the sick and the people with special needs.

– To create a system of military clergymen (chaplains) and to support further development of spiritual care of hospitals and penitentiary system.

– To introduce moratorium on privatization of the former church property and to define mechanisms for its return to restore justice and to support the life of the Church and its social and charitable ministry.

– To consider return or allocation of land to the monasteries and parishes for conducting agricultural activities.

– Preservation of cultural and spiritual heritage of our nation, its historical monuments and holy sites should continues to be a common cause of the church and the state. The Church does not deny the necessity of existence of conservation areas, galleries, archives, storerooms and book depositories, but is sure that the church objects of value ​​and monuments that were taken away from the believers during the reign of God-fighting authorities, should be transferred back to the ownership of their real masters – the Ukrainian Orthodox church and other religious organizations from which they were taken away.

11. On behalf of the plenitude of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to call brothers and sisters who seceded from the Mother Church band stay beyond the salvific fencing of the church sacraments, to repent and return to the home of the Father.
The position of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church regarding the ways of overcoming the split remains principally the same: restoration of the unity of Ukrainian Orthodoxy should proceed in accordance with the canons of the Church, without intervention of the political forces and by means of return of those who departed in the fold of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The example of the biblical parable says that returning to parental home is not humiliating or offensive. Our arms are open and the hearts are burning with desire to get united around the Eucharistic Chalice, to testify that Jesus Christ among us.

12. On behalf of the plenitude of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to support the efforts of the hierarchy on restoration of the unity of the Ukrainian Orthodoxy.

To call upon all the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to pray constantly for the return to the Church of those who seceded from her, to stop hostility, to increase love and renewal of God-commanded Unity.

13. On behalf of the plenitude of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to testify that the current canonical status of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church granted by the Tomos of His Holiness Alexius II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia on 27 October, 1990 and approved by the Local Council of the Orthodox Church on January 28, 2009 as an independent in governance and autonomous Church with the right of broad autonomy is by far the optimal. The status of the UOC gives her the opportunity to develop its salvific ministry and internal canonical structure. The status of the UOC is the guarantee of preserving its internal unity and a foundation for restoration of the unity of Ukrainian Orthodoxy.

14. On behalf of the plenitude of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to testify to the importance and necessity of construction of the Cathedral in Kyiv in honor of the Resurrection of Christ and the spiritual and educational center of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. To thank all who made their contribution to the construction of the cathedral and all the other churches and monasteries of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. May All-Merciful God give you “heavenly instead of earthy, immortal instead of perishable, eternal instead of temporary”.

The Jubilee Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church witnesses that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is the Church of Christ, which unites believers regardless of their nationality, race, political opinion or social status. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is the Church of the Ukrainian people.

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