Ukrainian Orthodox Patriarch Visits Chicagoland

Patriarch Philaret (Denysenko), first hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate, has completed a pastoral visit to the exarchate of the Kiev Patriarchate in the United States. During his time in the USA the Ukrainian Orthodox patriarch, once a frontrunner in the USSR for election as head of the Russian Orthodox Church, visited Ukrainian Orthodox churches in the Chicago area. More here.

Local Orthodox Churches Celebrate the Baptism of Rus' in Kiev

This past Saturday Patriarch Cyril (Gundyayev) of Moscow led the celebrations in honor of the feast of St. Vladimir and the anniversary of the Baptism of Rus' at Ukraine's historic Kiev Caves Lavra, concelebrating the festal Divine Liturgy in the square fronting the Lavra's Cathedral of the Dormition with Metropolitans Volodymyr (Sabodan) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Vladimir (Canterean) of the Moldovan Orthodox Church; hierarchs representing the Constantinopolitan, Alexandrian, Antiochian, Jerusalemite, Georgian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Cypriot, Greek, Polish, Czechoslovak, and American Orthodox Churches; and numerous hierarchs of the Russian, Ukrainian, and Belorussian Orthodox Churches. Following the services Patriarch Cyril congratulated Metropolitan Volodymyr on the 20th anniversary of his service as primate of the Church of Ukraine. More here and in Russian here.

New Ukrainian Orthodox Bishops Consecrated in Kiev

It has been reported that this past Sunday Metropolitan Volodymyr (Sabodan) of Kiev and nine other hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church consecrated Archimandrite Roman (Kymovych) as Bishop of Konotop. Axios! Bishop Roman will shepherd the Eparchy of Konotop in northeastern Ukraine. More in Ukrainian here.

The following day, the commemoration of St. Anthony of the Kiev Caves, Metropolitan Volodymyr led festal services at the Kiev Caves Lavra, during which he consecrated Archimandrite Clement (Vecher) as Bishop of Irpin' together with nineteen other hierarchs of the Church of Ukraine. Axios! The newly consecrated Bishop Clement will serve as an auxiliary of the Metropolitanate of Kiev and chairman of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church's education committee. More in Ukrainian here.

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Begins Visit to Kiev

Patriarch Cyril (Gundyayev) of Moscow has begun a pastoral visit to the autonomous Church of Ukraine, flying into the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, earlier today and meeting with Metropolitan Volodymyr (Sabodan) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Y. Azarov at the Kiev Caves Lavra shortly after his arrival in the city.

Patriarch Cyril is opening a session of the Russian Orthodox Holy Synod at the Kiev Caves Lavra today, and on Saturday will lead the celebrations of the feast of St. Vladimir and the Baptism of Rus'. More here.

Ukrainian Orthodox Synod Elects New Bishops, Approves Athonite Dependency

The Local Synod of the autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church has met in Kiev in advance of the upcoming celebrations in honor of the Baptism of Rus'. The Synod took a number of decisions concerning the life of the Church of Ukraine, including the transfer of several hierarchs to new sees. It also elected Archimandrites Roman (Kymovych) as Bishop of Konotop, Ephraim (Yarinko) as Bishop of Berdyansk, Clement (Vecher) as Bishop of Irpin' and auxiliary of the Metropolitanate of Kiev, and Arcadius (Taranov) as Bishop of Ovidiopol' and auxiliary of the Eparchy of Odessa and approved the request of St. Panteleimon's Monastery on Mount Athos to reestablish a dependency (μετοχιον/подворье) in Kiev, pending the approval of the Moscow Patriarchate. More in Ukrainian here and here.

'No Comment' from Ukrainian Orthodox Church on Language Law

Archbishop Mitrophan (Yurchuk) of Bila Tserkva, a spokesman of the autonomous Church of Ukraine, has called for a "constructive dialogue" between the proponents and opponents of the recent legislation establishing Russian as a regional official language alongside Ukrainian while at the same time distancing the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the conflict by noting that the Church supports the integrity of the Ukrainian state, but refuses to participate in the political process when it does not touch on matters affecting public morality. More in Ukrainian here.

Ukrainian Catholic Church Protests Church Legislation

The Ukrainian Catholic Church is protesting legislation recently introduced in the Ukrainian Parliament that would transfer historic monasteries and churches in the country still under state administration to the Church of Ukraine, claiming that the status monuments, which were historically owned by the Orthodox Church, required a "complex settlement." More here.

Metropolitan Volodymyr Hospitalized

Metropolitan Volodymyr (Sabodan) of Kiev, First Hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, has been hospitalized since the weekend, with his doctors referring to his health as grave. Please keep him in your prayers! Hat tip to Ad Orientem.

Kiev Patriarchate, UAOC Dialogue Committee Meets

The dialogue committee of the independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) has met at St. Michael's Golden-domed Monastery in Kiev to discuss the reasons for the schism between the Kiev Patriarchate and the UAOC. Three hierarchs of the Kiev Patriarchate and five hierarchs of the UAOC participated in the meeting, which drafted an outline of the unification process discussed by the committee for submission to the hierarchies of the two churches. More (in Ukrainian) here.

Patriarch Philaret Marks 16 Years as Kievan Patriarch

The independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church has marked the 16th anniversary of the enthronement of Philaret (Denysenko), who initially served as a metropolitan in the Russian Orthodox Church and later in the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, as head of the Kiev Patriarchate. The anniversary was marked with a celebratory Divine Liturgy and a thanksgiving in Kiev's Cathedral of St. Volodymyr. More (in Ukrainian) here.

UAOC Skeptical of Dialogue with Kiev Patriarchate

Despite approving the resumption of dialogue with the Kiev Patriarchate the hierarchy of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) has expressed skepticisim that the unity discussions will bear any fruit due to the non-participation of Ukraine's largest jurisdiction, the autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church, in the dialogues and the UAOC hierarchy's distrust of the leadership of the Kiev Patriarchate. More here.

Kiev Patriarchate Holy Synod Approves Unity Dialogue with UAOC, Appeals to Ukrainian Orthodox Church for Dialogue

The fall session of the Holy Synod of the independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church has concluded in Kiev. Under the leadership of Patriarch Philaret (Denysenko) of Kiev the Holy Synod discussed recent political developments in Ukraine and approved an appeal to the autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Ukraine's largest Orthodox Church and the only one recognized by the Local Orthodox Churches, to resume dialogue with the Kiev Patriarchate oriented towards the creation of a united, independent Church of Ukraine.

The Holy Synod also approved the resumption of the unity dialogue with the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, of which the independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church was briefly a part prior to the rise of Patriarch Philaret to the leadership of the Kiev Patriarchate. The dialogue was recognized as the only potentially fruitful dialogue currently being engaged in by the Kiev Patriarchate.

Lastly, in addition to dealing with various pastoral matters the Holy Synod also approved the local glorification of St. Mercurius of Bryhyntsi, a confessor of the Soviet Yoke, by the Eparchy of Chernigov. More (in Ukrainian) on the recent session of the Holy Synod can be found here.

Patriarch Philaret Leads Babyn Yar Memorial

Patriarch Philaret (Denysenko) of the independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church has led a memorial commemorating the victims of the Nazi mass executions at Babyn Yar. The memorial was organized at Babyn Yar for the 70th anniversary of the executions this past Wednesday. After the memorial Patriarch Philaret called for the establishment of a chapel on the site of a memorial to Ukrainian nationalists killed by the Nazis. More (in Ukrainian) here.

The Soviet and Holocaust memorials at Babyn Yar are truly haunting. The district was farmland at the time of the Nazis' massacres and it's said that after the war had ended Kiev's residents refused to buy produce from its fields out of respect for the tens of thousands murdered and buried there.

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Visits Bukovina

Patriarch Kirill (Gundyayev) of Moscow, accompanied by Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk, has begun a pastoral visit to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in northern Bukovina. The patriarchal delegation was welcomed to the region by Metropolitan Onufriy (Berezovskiy) of Chernivtsi and Bukovina, who with the rest of the clergy and faithful of the Chernivtsi diocesan administration were exhorted by Patriarch Kirill to never forget "Great [and] Holy Rus.'" More (in Russian) here and here.

In Memoriam: Metropolitan Nikodim of Kharkiv

Metropolitan Nikodim (Rusnak) of Kharkiv of the autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church has fallen asleep at the age of ninety-one. A brief biography can be found here. May his memory be eternal! Вечная память!

Pochaev Privatization Proposal Provokes Protests

A bill in the Ukrainian Parliament proposing the privatization of the Pochaev Lavra, which is inhabited by monks belonging to the autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church, has, unsurprisingly, been met with protests from Ukrainian nationalists and members of the hierarchy of the independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Lavra, which has been a bastion of loyalty to the Moscow Patriarchate in western Ukraine, is seen by the Kiev Patriarchate and others as a Ukrainian national shrine that should remain under the oversight of the Ukrainian government. More here.

Ukrainian Orthodox Church Signs Agreement with State Penitentiary

Representatives of the autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine have signed an agreement confirming and broadening the cooperative efforts of the two organizations to care for the spiritual needs of prisoners in Ukraine. More (in Ukrainian) here.

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.

New Kiev Patriarchate Bishop Consecrated

Patriarch Philaret (Denysenko) of Kiev and six other hierarchs of the independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church have consecrated Abbot Afanasii (Yavorskyi) as Bishop of Konotop. The consecration took place this past weekend in Kiev's Cathedral of St. Volodymyr. Bishop Afanasii will serve as an auxiliary of the Kiev Patriarchate's Eparchy of Sumy. More (in Ukrainian) here.

Ukrainian Orthodox, Catholic First Hierarchs Meet at Kiev Caves Lavra

Ukrainian Catholic Major Archbishop Svyatoslav Shevchuk has met with the head of the Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Volodymyr (Sabodan) of Kiev, at the latter's residence at the Kiev Caves Lavra. During their meeting the two discussed ways to peacefully resolve disputes over church property ownership, which have been complicated by the transfer to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Ukrainian Catholic churches closed by the Soviets. More here.