UOC Synod creates commission to facilitate exchange of captives
The Synod decided to support His Beatitude Onuphry's initiative on the exchange of captives in the “all-for-all” format and set up a commission to facilitate it.
A meeting of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church presided by the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine, was held on July 28, 2019, reports the UOC Information and Education Department.
During the meeting, which was timed to the Day of Commemoration of Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir and to the 1031st anniversary of the Christianization of Rus’, the current issues regulating various aspects of church life were discussed.
In particular, it is reported that the Holy Synod supported the initiative of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry to resume the process of exchanging captives, freeing prisoners and establishing peace in the Donbass.
It is noted that the members of the Synod emphasized the importance of exchanging captives in the “all-for-all” format. In addition, the Commission on the exchange of captives and the release of prisoners was established. The Commission included: His Grace Archbishop Clement of Nezhin and Priluky, His Grace Bishop Victor of Baryshevka, the vicar of the Kiev Metropolis, and Archpriest Vladislav Dikhanov, the head of the Synodal Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church for Social and Humanitarian Issues.
In addition, one of the decisions of the Holy Synod was the reorganization of the Pustynno-Rykhlovsky Monastery of the Nezhin Eparchy into a convent. The Synod also approved the abbess for this convent.
In addition, a synodal decision approved 4 new superiors for convents: the Annunciation Convent of the Rovno Eparchy; the Convent of the icon of the Mother of God "Life-Giving Source" of the Khmelnitsky Eparchy; the Virgin Gorbanovsky Convent of the Poltava Eparchy and St. Athanasius of Athos’ of the Chernovtsy-Bukovina Eparchy.
The hegumen of the St. Elijah Monastery of the Severodonetsk Eparchy was dismissed from the post of abbot.
At the end of the meeting, the Synod members added a new date to the Church calendar of the UOC - the Day of the Martyr Presbyter Vladimir Troepolsky, who was glorified by the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad in November 1981.
Earlier, the UOJ wrote that the Holy Synod of the UOC published a statement about the situation in Ukrainian and world Orthodoxy.
