7 milestones for the Church in 2017 year

At the end of the outgoing year of 2017 the UOJ recalls the most significant events having produced an impact on the life of the Church and society.

Prayerful standing at the Verkhovna Rada against anti-church bills

On May 18, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine intended to consider draft laws 4128 and 4511, the essence of which is to legitimize church raiding and allow takeovers of Orthodox churches on legal grounds (bill 4128), as well as to declare the UOC as "a structure of the aggressor state" and introduce a state control by the appointment of the Church’s bishops (bill 4511).

The anti-church orientation and unconstitutional character of these bills is so obvious, and their discriminatory nature is so blatant that Local Orthodox Churches, the Vatican, the World Council of Churches, various international and human rights organizations campaigned in some form or other against the adoption of the above bills. Most religious scholars and experts in the field of legislation also recognized the incompliance of the draft laws with the Constitution of Ukraine, its international obligations, as well as the practice of settling such issues in the developed countries of the world. With the blessing of the UOC Primate, over 300,000 signatures of Ukrainian citizens were collected against the consideration of the bills.

More than 10,000 believers gathered near the Verkhovna Rada with a demand to remove bills from the agenda. For many hours, the prayer to God continued for the admonition of MPs. The Orthodox faithful appealed to heaven for help and intercession.

The consideration of anti-church bills was postponed, but the threat of their adoption remains up to this day.

25th Anniversary of Kharkov Council

Festivities on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Bishops’ Council in Kharkov commenced on May 27 in Kharkov and continued on the next day in Kiev. After the Divine Liturgy in the Annunciation Cathedral of Kharkov, led by the Primate of the UOC, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry, a solemn meeting of the Holy Synod of the UOC took place. The message of the Primate of the UOC to the people was read out, which refers to the historical significance of the 1992 Kharkov-based Council of Bishops.

Twenty-five years ago, the bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church gathered in Kharkov to prevent the then Primate of the UOC, Filaret (Denisenko), from enthralling the whole Ukrainian Church into schism and breaking the canonical link with the Universal Orthodoxy. Despite the active opposition of the then Ukrainian authorities and their open threats, the Kharkov Council upheld the canonicity of the UOC and did not succumb to the temptation to seek the favor of powers-that-be at the cost of betrayal and deviation from sacred canons of the Church.

According to the decision of the Council, the former Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine Filaret (Denisenko) was disgowned and anathematized, while His Beatitude Vladimir (Sabodan) was elected the new Primate of the UOC. The leaders of all Local Orthodox Churches sent him welcome telegrams and expressed their full support.

Thus began a new era in the life of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Cross Procession – 2017

In 2017, the religious procession on the feast of the Holy and Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir gathered about 100 thousand people from all corners of Ukraine. On the eve of the holiday, on July 27, after the prayer on the Vladimir Hill, the faithful, led by their Primate, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry, marched along the central streets of Kiev to the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. The Cross Procession was accompanied by 11 miracle-working icons and the relics of St. Vladimir Equal-to-the-Apostles, having been made available then for worship in the Refectory Church of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

Participants of the Procession forever remembered the atmosphere of joy, unity, and prayer, which was felt and shared by everyone, despite the filthy insinuations that accompanied the organization of the procession and its coverage in the media. All sorts of lie were poured out on the grace-filled procession: the number of participants was deliberately underestimated up to several thousand, then it was announced that this is a move in support of the "Russian world", afterwards Holy Prince Vladimir himself was declared a cruel debaucher from the TV screens. However, all these attempts to denigrate the Cross Procession could not shake the faith and prayer of all those participating in it.

Council of Bishops in Moscow

From November 29 to December 2 in Moscow, in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, there took place the Bishops' Council of the ROC, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the restoration of the patriarchate in Russia. The delegation of Ukrainian bishops was led by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry.

One of the main acts of the Council was the decision to introduce into the ROC Charter a separate chapter regulating the canonical status of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and its relations with the ROC. This initiative was made by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry. Legally, the status of the UOC as "self-governing with the rights of broad autonomy" was enshrined, its "independence and autonomy in management" was recognized. It was proclaimed that "the Center for Administration of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is based in the city of Kiev". All the officials of both the UOC and the ROC stressed that the Statute of the ROC had legally affirmed the status and the rights of the UOC it had actually been exercising for 25 years. Despite this, a campaign was launched in the media to blame the fact that the Council of Bishops narrowed the independent authority of the Ukrainian Church. The UOJ has repeatedly written that such statements are not true.

Also at the Bishops' Council there occurred another event, extremely important for Ukrainian Orthodoxy. The former Metropolitan Filaret (Denisenko), currently an anathematized schismatic, sent a "Penitential Letter" to the Council of Bishops and His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, in which he asked to remove from him the imposed reprisals and restore the Eucharistic communion. The letter ended with the words: "I bring my apologies for everything I have sinned in word, deed and all my feelings, and also sincerely forgive everyone", and it was signed: "Your brother Filaret".

According to Bishop Victor (Kotsaba) of Baryshevka, the letter was received at the Council with "love and caution." A commission for negotiations with the UOC-KP was set up. However, Mikhail Denisenko himself on the next day after the announcement of the "Penitential Letter" called a press conference, which completely disavowed its essence. "No repentance! ... I do not bother about anathema!" – these words were received with pain and disappointment by all those who had hoped for sincerity of the head of the UOC-KP. Nevertheless, after a while the Synod of the UOC-KP approved the negotiations to be held, although it furnished this "approval" with the words verging on direct insult. How this situation will develop further is known to God only, in our turn, we are hoping for His mercy to us sinful.

Seizures of Orthodox churches

Unfortunately, in 2017, seizures of Orthodox churches by schismatics from the Kyiv Patriarchate and Greek Catholics have continued. The situation is aggravated in Kolomyia and vlg. Stary Gvozdets.



On October 18, a group of chaplains of the UGCC, with the support of right-wing radical forces, seized the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kolomyia. The invaders cut off the locks from the doors of the church and held an unauthorized service. The head of the UGCC Sviatoslav Shevchuk and local authorities in fact approved such lawlessness. Confrontation in Kolomyia is accompanied by insults and threats of reprisal from the lips of the chaplains of the UGCC. Through the efforts of the hierarchy of the UOC, as well as human rights activists, this situation has already attracted the attention of both Ukrainian and international public.



On October 15, the head of the village council and representatives of the Kyiv Patriarchate, bypassing the religious community of the UOC, held a meeting of the residents of vlg. Stary Gvozdets and changed the canonical affiliation of the Holy Assumption Church. Despite the court's decision, the police sided with the raiders and helped seize the church. The rector of the church Nikolai Kushnir and his numerous flock are forced to conduct divine services under the walls of their church. The situation with the temple in vlg. Stary Gvozdets is a vivid example of how the concept of a religious community is replaced by the concept of a territorial community (i.e. villagers), which is used to enforce lawlessness and violations of the rights of believers.

Recognition of Catholic and Protestant Christmas

On November 6, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a law under which Catholic and Protestant Christmas is declared a day off. It was motivated by the fact that it was necessary to ensure the rights of Catholics and Protestants, as well as to "europeanize" Christmas. The President did not use the right of veto and signed the law. And now the citizens of Kiev, along with bills, receive invitations to meet Christmas in one of the main squares of the capital. The invitation does not specify the organizer, but the fact that the action is supposed to be held in Sofiyskaya Square says that there could not have been without the active participation of both central and city authorities.

Under the slogan "What is bad in one more day off," Ukraine has moved one step further in the process of catholicizing and erasing Orthodox identity from people's minds. It can be assumed that the majority of people will "cheer" at the innovation of the authorities and rush to celebrate Christmas together with the whole Europe. And the Orthodox will remember the lentil soup for which Esau sold his birthright.

Canonization of Rev. John Vyshensky

As if foreseeing such a significant offensive against Orthodoxy, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church canonized the Rev. John Vyshensky the Athonite. A native of western Ukraine (born around 1550), Rev. John spent about 40 years in a monastic feat on Mount Athos in the Zograph Monastery. On the eve of the Brest Union of 1596 and especially after it, he wrote many works in which he urged to firmly keep the Orthodox faith and not succumb to the flattery of Catholics. His works laid the foundation for a new, polemical trend in Ukrainian literature. Several generations of Ukrainian writers, church-cultural and public figures were brought up on his works. And even in Soviet times, some of his messages were placed in school textbooks and collections.

In his Epistles from Athos, Rev. John denounced Orthodox bishops-traitors, the Roman Catholic and Uniat clergy, opposed the catholicising and polonisation of the Ruthenians in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Rzeczpospolita). The famous Ukrainian writer of the XIX century Panteleimon Kulish called him "Athonite apostle".

The rite of the glorification of Rev. John was performed during the Divine Liturgy at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra on July 28, the feast day of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir.



Reverend Father John, pray to God for us and help us keep the Orthodox faith.