Ukrainian Orthodox Local Synod Meets, Elects New Bishop of Obukhov

The Local Synod of the autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church met today under Metropolitan Volodymyr (Sabodan) of Kiev at the Kiev Caves Lavra to take decisions concerning the life of the Church of Ukraine. Among other things the Local Synod elected Archimandrite Iona (Cherepanov) as Bishop of Obukhov and auxiliary of the Metropolitanate of Kiev and called on Metropolitan Volodymyr to protest the schismatic activities of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolitanate of Chisinau and Bessarabia on the canonical territory of Ukraine to Patriarch Daniel (Ciobotea) of Bucharest. More (in Ukrainian) here.

Moscow, Kiev Reject Crimean Cossack Calls for the Dissolution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

Representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Kiev Metropolitanate have rejected calls by a Cossack organization in the Crimea for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church's dissolution and direct union with the Russian Orthodox Church, reaffirming the autonomy of the Church of Ukraine and its jurisdiction over the whole of Ukraine. More here.

Superior of Kiev Caves Lavra Elevated to Rank of Metropolitan

Archbishop Pavel (Lebed) of Vyshhorod, auxiliary to Metropolitan Volodymyr (Sabodan) of Kiev and superior of the Kiev Caves Lavra, was elevated to the rank of metropolitan this past St. Thomas' Sunday with the title "of Vyshhorod and Chernobyl." More here.