Hierarch of the UOC: Disregard for the decisions of the Council in Theophany is a violation of the Statute and disrespect towards the Synod and the Council

The hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and rector of the Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary, Archbishop Silvester (Stoychev), drew attention to those in the UOC who deliberately refuse to implement the decisions of the Theophany Council. The hierarch noted that according to the canonical rules and the Statute of the Church, such hierarchs and clergymen are subject to canonical interdicts, due to their disrespect for those resolutions of the Council, which were adopted by the majority of the episcopate and delegates from the dioceses of the UOC. The rector of KTAiS told about this in a comment to the cleric of the Odessa diocese of the UOC Archdeacon Andrei Palchuk in Facebook.

«Let’s return to canon law and the Statute of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. When canonical decisions were made by Ecumenical Councils or famous Local Councils, such as the Councils of Carthage or Antioch, how do these rules end? They end with the following wording — whoever does not observe them, let him be punished. And let us not forget that there is Church discipline and obedience to the Church. And all the canons — it is easy to check — always end with the indication — what should be the punishments for those who do not want …. (to fulfill them — ed.). Including the Council in Theophany. They become valid and effective absolutely for the entire Ukrainian Orthodox Church», — noted Archbishop Silvester.

The Rector of KTAiS drew an analogy between voting in Parliament and at the Council of the Church, noting that in both cases, issues are decided by a majority of votes, and the adopted laws, one way or another, must be binding.

«Even if someone voted against or abstained, it doesn’t matter. Because the majority of the participants in the Council voted FOR. Accordingly, these decisions are binding on the entire Ukrainian Orthodox Church. I can give an analogy, maybe not quite appropriate, but nevertheless understandable. Obviously, in some version of the Verkhovna Rada or a local council — city or regional — not everyone votes «unanimously» for the adoption of any decision, much less for the adoption of a law. But the law comes into force, doesn’t it? And no one will say: you know, I was against or abstained or I have a dissenting opinion. No. The law has come into force and its violators, of course, must answer by law for the violation of the adopted laws. This is how any legal discipline and canonical discipline in general is built, » the Archbishop continued.

He also added that failure to fulfill the decisions of the Council in Theophany is a violation of Church discipline, in connection with which the Synod of Bishops has the right to protest against such actions of individual representatives of the episcopate and clergy of the UOC, obliging them to fulfill the Council’s decisions.

«Accordingly, if someone thinks that he has the right — even provided that he did not vote or abstained — now to live in opposition to the decisions of the Council in Theophany, goes against the canonical structure of the Church. Moreover, if we talk specifically about the episcopate, again let us remember that all editions of the UOC Charter say that the diocesan bishop responsible for the implementation of the decisions of the Synod and the cathedral determinations of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the territory of the diocese entrusted to him. The Holy Synod appoints the bishop to govern the diocese, and naturally, the bishop must comply with these norms of the Statute. That is, on the territory of his diocese to do everything necessary for the observance of Church-wide decisions. If a bishop does not fulfill this, he, in fact, goes against the decisions of the Council, and against the Charter of the UOC, and against his fellow bishops, including in the Holy Synod, which, of course, should remind about the observance of this norm of the Charter in relation to the diocesan bishop», — he summarized.

Recall, the hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Metropolitan of Cherkassy and Kanev Theodosius (Snigiryov) said that he opposes the decision of the Council of the UOC in Theophany of 2022, on the resumption of the practice of Myrovany in Kiev. The hierarch argues that the practice of Mirarovation is the prerogative of exclusively autocephalous churches, while the Ukrainian Orthodox Church does not have such a status.