Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. Dossier

In 1918, the All-Russian Local Council of the Orthodox Russian Church formed an ecclesiastical region on the territory of Ukraine “with special advantages on the basis of autonomy” - the Ukrainian Exarchate. Its head was the Metropolitan of Kiev and Galicia, Patriarchal Exarch of Ukraine. In 1918, this post was taken by Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky). In 1921, by decree of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Tikhon (Belavin), Ukrainian autonomy was liquidated, but the Ukrainian exarchate continued to exist as a special unit within the Russian Orthodox Church until 1990.

On October 27, 1990, the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church re-established the self-governing Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, headed by the Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine. Currently, it continues to be the only canonical Orthodox Church in Ukraine.

In 1990-1992, the head of the UOC-MP was Metropolitan Filaret (Denisenko). On May 27, 1992, the Council of Bishops of the UOC MP removed him for schismatic activities and elected Metropolitan of Rostov and Novocherkassk Vladimir (Sabodan), manager of the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate, as the new primate of the church. After his death, since August 2014, Metropolitan of Chernivtsi and Bukovina Onufriy (Berezovsky) became the head of the UOC-MP.

Status of self-governing Orthodox churches within the Russian Orthodox Church

The structure of the ROC MP includes five self-governing Orthodox churches: the Latvian, Ukrainian, Estonian, Orthodox Church of Moldova, as well as the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCOR). All of them are connected to other local Orthodox churches through the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.

According to the statutes of the Russian Orthodox Church, self-governing churches form their own council of bishops and Synod. The head of the church in the rank of metropolitan or archbishop is elected by the local council from among candidates approved by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Decisions on the formation or abolition of dioceses included in a self-governing church, and on the definition of their boundaries, are made by the Patriarch of Moscow and the Holy Synod on the proposal of the Synod of the self-governing church, followed by approval by the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Bishops (bishops, archbishops, metropolitans) of a self-governing church are also elected by the Synod from candidates approved by the Moscow Patriarchate. All of them are members of the Local and Bishops' Councils of the Russian Orthodox Church, and can also be included in the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The decisions of the Local and Bishops' Councils, as well as the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, are binding on the self-governing church.

"Big State Question"

In his speech at the council, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko thanked Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the participants of the council and “everyone who believed that this was possible,” “who fought for it.” “A big state issue is being resolved now,” the president continued. “And I want to say to those who have gathered: you are direct participants in the formation of the Ukrainian independent church.”

How the Orthodox were united in Ukraine

Management of the UOC MP

The UOC MP in its activities is guided by the tomos (blessed letter) of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II dated October 27, 1990 and its own charter.

The highest power in the UOC-MP belongs to the church-wide Council, consisting of bishops, clergy, monastics and laity. In the period between them, Councils of Bishops of the UOC are convened. The church is governed on a permanent basis by the Holy Synod, headed by the Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine. It consists of ten diocesan bishops - seven permanent and three temporary members (the latter are called to the session alternately every six months). The Primate of the UOC-MP is elected for life by the episcopate of the church and blessed by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.

UOC MP in numbers

According to the UOC-MP, its parishioners include 35 million believers (more than 80% of the country’s population). As of November 30, 2021, the UOC-MP consists of 53 dioceses and 12 thousand 69 parishes. In the clergy of the church there are 85 bishops (52 diocesan and 33 vicars), 12 thousand 283 clergy, of which 11 thousand 312 are priests and 971 are deacons. There are 251 monasteries on the territory of Ukraine, in which 4 thousand 412 monks serve obedience (1 thousand 685 monks and monks, 2 thousand 727 nuns and nuns). In 17 religious educational institutions of the UOC-MP, 1 thousand 429 students study full-time.

[edit] Primateship of Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine

[edit] Ordination 2014

Eusebius (Dudka), Bishop of Shepetivka and Slavuta (September 28, 2014, at the see since January 29, 2021)
Victor (Bykov), Archbishop of Artsyz, vicar of the Odessa diocese (September 29, 2014, at the department from the day of consecration)

[edit] Ordination 2015

John (Vakhnyuk), Bishop of Zolotonosha, vicar of the Cherkassy diocese (April 5, 2015, at the department from the day of consecration)
Nathanael (Krikota), Archbishop of Volyn and Lutsk (August 5, 2015, at the see since October 18, 2021)
Sergius (Mikhailenko), Bishop of Bolgrad, vicar of the Odessa diocese (November 15, 2015, at the see from the day of his consecration)
Veniamin (Pogrebnoy), Bishop of Novosanzharsky, vicar of the Poltava diocese (December 6, 2015, at the department from the day of consecration)

[edit] Ordination 2021

Cassian (Shostak), Bishop of Ivankovsky, vicar of the Kyiv diocese (July 31, 2021, at the see from the day of consecration)
Veniamin (Mezhinsky), Bishop of Khotyn, vicar of the Chernivtsi diocese (November 13, 2021, at the department from the day of consecration)
Tikhon (Sofyichuk), Bishop of Gostomel, vicar of the Kyiv diocese (December 9, 2021, at the department from the day of consecration)
Isaac (Andronik), Bishop of Vorzel, vicar of the Kyiv diocese (December 13, 2021, at the department from the day of consecration)

[edit] Ordination 2021

Victor (Kotsaba), Bishop of Baryshevsky, vicar of the Kyiv diocese (June 5, 2021, at the department from the day of consecration)
Sylvester (Stoichev) Bishop of Belogorod, vicar of the Kyiv diocese (December 24, 2021, at the see from the day of consecration)

[edit] Ordination 2021

Sergius (Anitsoy), Bishop of Ladyzhinsky, vicar of the Tulchin diocese (March 24, 2021, at the department from the day of consecration)
Pimen (Voyat), Bishop of Dubensky, vicar of the Rivne diocese (March 25, 2021, at the department from the day of consecration)
Spiridon (Golovastov), Bishop of Dobropolsky, vicar of the Gorlovka diocese (June 17, 2021, at the department from the day of consecration)
Gideon (Charon), Bishop of Makarov, vicar of the Kyiv diocese (June 18, 2021, at the department from the day of consecration)
Nestor (Donenko), Bishop of Yalta, vicar of the Simferopol diocese (September 27, 2021, at the department from the day of consecration)
Dionysius (Pylypchuk), Bishop of Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky, vicar of the Kyiv diocese (December 19, 2021, at the department from the day of consecration)
Andrey (Vasilashka), Bishop of Petropavlovsk, vicar of the Dnepropetrovsk diocese (December 23, 2021; at the department from the day of consecration)

[edit] Ordination 2021

Ambrose (Scobiola), Bishop of Volnovakha, vicar of the Donetsk diocese (April 6, 2021, at the department from the day of consecration)
Simeon (Dove), Bishop of Ugolsky, vicar of the Khust diocese (April 7, 2021, at the see from the day of his consecration)
Ambrose (Vainagiy), Bishop of Zgurovsky, vicar of the Boryspil diocese (April 13, 2021, at the department from the day of consecration)
Kallinik (Chernyshev), Bishop of Bakhchisaray, vicar of the Simferopol diocese (December 8, 2021, at the department from the day of consecration)
Pavel (Valuysky), Bishop of Belovodsk, vicar of the Lugansk diocese (December 9, 2021, at the department from the day of consecration)
Spiridon (Romanov), Bishop of Vishnevsky, vicar of the Kyiv diocese (December 13, 2021, at the department from the day of consecration)
Nikodim (Pustovgar), Bishop of Lyubech, vicar of the Chernigov diocese (December 17, 2021, at the department from the day of consecration)

[edit] Ordination 2021

Laurus (Berezovsky), Bishop of Irpen, vicar of the Kyiv diocese (March 21, 2021, at the department from the day of consecration)
Mark (Andryuk), Bishop of Borodiansky, vicar of the Kyiv diocese (March 22, 2021, at the department from the day of consecration)
Athanasius (Herman), Bishop of Kamen-Kashirsky, vicar of the Volyn diocese (March 28, 2021, at the department from the day of consecration)
Kirill (Bilan), Bishop of Byshevsky, vicar of the Kyiv diocese (March 29, 2021, at the department from the day of consecration)

Non-canonical churches in Ukraine

In addition to the UOC-MP, there are two large non-canonical religious organizations in Ukraine: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC). The UOC-KP has 5 thousand 114 parishes, 60 monasteries, 18 religious educational institutions, 3 thousand 479 clergy, 219 monastics. The largest number of parishes are in the Lviv (496) and Kyiv (423) regions, the smallest in the Lugansk and Kharkov regions (31 each). The UAOC has 1 thousand 195 parishes, 13 monasteries, 8 religious educational institutions, 709 clergy, 21 monks. The largest number of parishes operate in the Lviv (388) and Ternopil (202) regions, the smallest - in the Donetsk (3) and Odessa (7) regions.

[edit] Primateship of Metropolitan Vladimir of Kyiv and All Ukraine

[edit] Ordination 1992

Anthony (Fialko), Metropolitan of Khmelnytsky and Starokonstantinovsky (July 27, 1992[1]; at the department from June 22, 1993)
Theodore (Gayun), Metropolitan of Kamenets-Podolsk and Gorodok (August 5, 1992; at the see since April 15, 1997)
Sophrony (Dmitruk), Metropolitan of Cherkassy and Kaniv (August 9, 1992; on the see from the day of his consecration)
Ippolit (Khilko), bishop, former of Khust and Vinogradov (August 16, 1992; retired since December 14, 2007)
Vissarion (Stretovich), Metropolitan of Ovruch and Korosten (August 24, 1992; at the see since June 22, 1993)
Pitirim (Starinsky), Metropolitan of Nikolaev and Ochakov (August 26, 1992; at the see since June 22, 1993)
Augustine (Markevich), Metropolitan of Belotserkov and Boguslav (September 20, 1992; at the see since July 20, 2012)

[edit] Ordination 1993

Anatoly (Gladky), Metropolitan of Polesie and Sarny (October 28, 1993; at the see since March 30, 1999)

[edit] Ordination 1994

Gury (Kuzmenko), Archbishop, former Zhitomir and Novograd-Volyn (July 31, 1994; retired from February 10, 2011)
Seraphim (Zaliznytsky), Archbishop of Ivano-Frankivsk and Kolomyia (August 1, 1994; at the see since September 25, 2018);
Innocent (Shestopal), bishop, former Konotop and Glukhov (October 5, 1994; retired since May 8, 2008).

[edit] Ordination 1996

Ephraim (Kitsai), Metropolitan of Krivoy Rog and Nikopol (September 13, 1996; on the see from the day of consecration)
John (Siopko), Metropolitan of Kherson and Tauride (December 13, 1996[1]; at the see since November 17, 2008)

[edit] Ordination 1997

Pavel (Lebed), Metropolitan of Vyshgorod and Chernobyl, vicar of the Kyiv diocese (April 19, 1997; at the department from the day of consecration)
Job (Smakouz), Archbishop of Shumsky, vicar of the Ternopil diocese (June 22, 1997; at the department since September 25, 2018)

[edit] Ordination 1998

Ambrose (Polykopa), Metropolitan of Chernigov and Novgorod-Seversky (June 28, 1998; at the see since October 16, 2003)
Agapit (Bevtsik), Metropolitan of Mogilev-Podolsk and Shargorod (November 22, 1998; at the department since January 5, 2013)

[edit] Ordination 2000

Onuphry (Easy), Metropolitan of Kharkov and Bogodukhov (April 22, 2000; at the see since May 8, 2012)
Mitrofan (Yurchuk), Metropolitan of Lugansk and Alchevsk (July 30, 2000; at the department since July 20, 2012)
Vladimir (Moroz), Metropolitan of Pochaev, vicar of the Kyiv diocese (December 3, 2000; at the department from the day of consecration)
Panteleimon (Bashchuk), Archbishop of Buchansky, vicar of the Kyiv diocese (December 24, 2000; at the department from January 29, 2016)

[edit] Ordination 2001

Philip (Osadchenko), Metropolitan of Poltava and Mirgorod (December 30, 2001; on the see from the day of consecration)

[edit] Ordination 2005

Luke (Kovalenko), Metropolitan of Zaporozhye and Melitopol (November 13, 2005; at the department since December 23, 2010)
Arseniy (Yakovenko), Metropolitan of Svyatogorsk, vicar of the Donetsk diocese (December 5, 2005; at the department from the day of consecration)

[edit] Ordination 2006

Meletiy (Egorenko), Metropolitan of Chernivtsi and Bukovina (July 30, 2006; at the department since September 16, 2014)
Alexy (Grokha), Metropolitan of Balta and Ananyevsky (August 19, 2006; at the department since December 20, 2012)
Anthony (Pakanich), Metropolitan of Boryspil and Brovary (November 26, 2006; at the see since September 25, 2013)

[edit] Ordination 2007

Mitrofan (Nikitin), Metropolitan of Gorlovka and Slavonica (January 28, 2007; at the department from the day of his consecration)
Varnava (Filatov), Archbishop of Makeevsky, vicar of the Donetsk diocese (February 11, 2007; at the department from October 18, 2007)
Elisha (Ivanov), Metropolitan of Izyum and Kupyansk (March 31, 2007; at the see since May 8, 2012)
Nikodim (Gorenko), Metropolitan of Zhitomir and Novograd-Volyn (June 4, 2007; at the department since June 14, 2011)
Vladimir (Melnik), Metropolitan of Vladimir-Volyn and Kovel (June 11, 2007; at the department since June 14, 2011)
Panteleimon (Lugovoy), Metropolitan of Uman and Zvenigorod (October 19, 2007; at the department since January 29, 2021)
Seraphim (Demyanov), Archbishop of Yagotinsky, vicar of the Kyiv diocese (November 16, 2007; at the department from the day of consecration)
Evlogiy (Gutchenko), Metropolitan of Sumy and Akhtyrsky (November 25, 2007; at the department since November 17, 2008)
Joasaph (Guben), Metropolitan of Kirovograd and Novomirgorod (December 16, 2007; at the see since February 10, 2011)
Theodore (Mamasuev), Metropolitan of Mukachevo and Uzhgorod (December 23, 2007; on the see from the day of consecration)

[edit] Ordination 2008

Anthony (Borovik), bishop, former Ugolsky, vicar of the Khust diocese (May 18, 2008; on staff since April 3, 2021)
Panteleimon (Povoroznyuk), Metropolitan of Rovenkovsky and Sverdlovsk (September 24, 2008; at the department since January 5, 2013)
Alexander (Nesterchuk), Archbishop of Gorodnitsky, vicar of the Kyiv diocese (November 16, 2008; at the department from the day of consecration)
Joseph (Maslennikov), Archbishop of Romensky and Burynsky (November 18, 2008; at the see since September 25, 2013)
Vladimir (Orachev), Archbishop of Kamensk and Tsarichansky (November 22, 2008; at the see since December 23, 2010)

[edit] Ordination 2009

Evlogiy (Boy), Archbishop of Novomoskovsk, vicar of the Dnepropetrovsk diocese (December 13, 2009; at the department from the day of consecration)

[edit] Ordination 2010

Alypiy (Kozoliy), Metropolitan of Dzhankoy and Razdolnensky (February 14, 2010; on the see from the day of his consecration)
Nikodim (Baranovsky), Metropolitan of Severodonetsk and Starobelsky (December 25, 2010; at the department since January 5, 2013)

[edit] Ordination 2011

Filaret (Kucherov), Metropolitan of Lviv and Galicia (January 2, 2011; at the department since July 20, 2012)
Theodosius (Snigiryov), Archbishop of Boyarsk, vicar of the Kyiv diocese (January 6, 2011; at the department from September 25, 2013)
Filaret (Zverev), Archbishop of Novokakhovsky and Genicheskiy (February 12, 2011; on the see from the day of consecration)
Dionysius (Konstantinov), bishop, former Shepetivka and Slavuta (June 18, 2011; retired since December 23, 2014)
Nikolai (Kapustin), Archbishop of Kremenchug and Lubensky (June 19, 2011; at the see from the day of consecration)
Jonah (Cherepanov), Archbishop of Obukhov, vicar of the Kyiv diocese (September 10, 2011; at the department from the day of consecration)

[edit] Ordination 2012

Anthony (Kripak), Archbishop of Putivl, vicar of the Kyiv diocese (May 13, 2012, at the department since July 20, 2012)
Longin (Zhar), Archbishop of Banchensky, vicar of the Chernivtsi-Bukovina diocese (May 22, 2012, at the department from the day of consecration)
Roman (Kimovich), Archbishop of Konotop and Glukhov (July 22, 2012, on the see from the day of consecration)
Clement (Evenings), Metropolitan of Nizhyn and Priluki, (July 23, 2012, at the see since December 21, 2021)
Arkady (Taranov), Archbishop of Ovidiopol, vicar of the Odessa diocese (August 4, 2012, at the department from the day of consecration)
Ephraim (Yarinko), Archbishop of Berdyansk and Primorsky (August 5, 2012, on the see from the day of consecration)
Barsanuphius (Stolyar), Metropolitan of Vinnitsa and Bar (August 28, 2012, at the see since December 17, 2021)
Damian (Davydov), Archbishop of Fastov, vicar of the Kyiv diocese (August 30, 2012, at the department from the day of consecration)
Alexy (Shpakov), Archbishop of Ascension and May Day (September 4, 2012, at the see from the day of consecration)
Bogolep (Goncharenko), Archbishop of Alexandria and Svetlovodsk (December 23, 2012, on the see from the day of consecration)

[edit] Ordination 2013

Nikolai (Pochtovyi), Bishop of Vasilkovsky, vicar of the Kyiv diocese (March 17, 2013, at the department from the day of consecration)
Barsanuphius (Vinichenko), Bishop of Novoazovsky, vicar of the Donetsk diocese (March 30, 2013; at the department from the day of consecration)
Diodorus (Vasilchuk), Archbishop of Yuzhnensky, vicar of the Odessa diocese (September 29, 2013; at the department from the day of consecration)