Press Conference “The actual purpose of the Jubilee Council of the UOC”
Ukrainian Orthodox Church
On July 1, at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (block 70-A) the press conference on “The actual purpose of the Jubilee Council of the UOC” was conducted.
Participants:
– His Eminence Metrophanes, Archbishop of Bila Tserkva and Bohuslav, chief of the UOC administration
– His Eminence Alexander, Archbishop of Pereyaslav-Khmelnytskyy and Vyshneve, chairman of Department for External Church Relations of UOC
– Archpriest George Kovalenko, spokesman for the Primate of the Orthodox Church, secretary of the Supreme Church Council of the UOC.
REFERENCE. On July 8, 2011 in the Refectory Palace of the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra the Jubilee Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is to take place. The previous Council was held in 1992. There the election of the Primate of the Orthodox Church His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr was approved in a conciliar way. Since that time there have been considerable changes in life and organization of the UOC: the number of parishes, churches, monasteries, dioceses, religious schools and synodal institutions significantly increased, the internal and external activities grew more intensive.
Holding the Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on July 8, 2011 is meant to hear the report of the Primate of the UOC on the development of the ecclesial life for the last 19 years, to approve all decisions of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church and the Councils of Bishops of the UOC for the period since 1992 and to adopt the Statute of Governance of the UOC all amendments that have been accepted by the Council of Bishops of the UOC within this period, and to fix the future plans.
The decision on convocation of the Council of the UOC was made by the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in accordance with the Statute on Governance of the UOC (Section II, Paragraph 2) and supported by the Holy Synod of the UOC at its session on 28 June 2011. The Holy Synod of the UOC also approved the Council’s quorum, the number and election order of the delegates of the Kyiv Metropolis, Synodal institutions, religious schools and dioceses of the UOC.
The Council is called ‘Jubilee’, because last year the UOC celebrated the 20th anniversary of its independence and autonomy in governance, this year Ukraine marks the 20th anniversary of its independence, and next year the 20th anniversary of the election of Metropolitan Volodymyr as Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church will be celebrated.
In addition, on 9 July 2011 the 45th anniversary of episcopal cheirotonia (bishop consecration) of Metropolitan Volodymyr is marked. On this day at 9.00 in the square in front of the Holy Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv Caves Monastery the solemn Divine Liturgy is to be conducted. Concelebrating to His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv and All Ukraine will be all the bishops of the UOC, all the clergymen of Kyiv, delegates and guests of the Council of the UOC in the holy orders. Praying at the liturgy will be the monks and nuns of the monasteries of Kyiv, Orthodox representatives of the social movements (nurses, scouts, Cossacks, youth), the faithful people of Kyiv and guests. Worship will be broadcast live by TV-channel “Glas”.
