"The 1990 Charter is no longer a normative document for the UOC," — Archbishop Sylvester

On the eve of the third anniversary of the historic Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church held at the Theophany Monastery, Archbishop Sylvester of Bilohorod delivered a report dedicated to the canonical status of the UOC and the role of the Patriarchal Blessing Charter issued by Patriarch Alexy II in 1990. The text has been published on the website of the Kyiv Theological Academy.

According to the archbishop, the decisions of the May 27, 2022 Council marked a new stage in the life of the Church: all references to subordination or organic connection to the Moscow Patriarchate were removed from the Statute. In particular, provisions requiring adherence to the decisions of the Bishops’ Councils of the Russian Orthodox Church, commemoration of Patriarch Kirill during services, and the need to obtain his blessing for the election of the Primate, were eliminated.

Nevertheless, one mention of the 1990 Charter remained in the updated Statute, which has led to differing interpretations. Opponents of the UOC attempt to portray this as evidence of continued subordination to Moscow. However, as Archbishop Sylvester noted, the charter is no longer a normative document — it merely marks the beginning of the institutional formation of the contemporary UOC.

As early as 2022, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry officially notified state authorities that the UOC is fully canonically independent and does not adhere to the decisions of the Russian Orthodox Church. He also withdrew from the Holy Synod of the ROC, emphasizing the end of any jurisdictional dependence.

The archbishop also reminded that the UOC has for many years engaged in direct communication with other Local Orthodox Churches without Moscow’s involvement. This practice, confirming the canonical independence of the UOC, has only intensified since the outbreak of the war, when the UOC ceased all contact with the Moscow Patriarchate.

In conclusion, Archbishop Sylvester emphasized: “The resolutions of the 2022 Council testify to the clear movement of our Church toward full canonical independence — that is, autocephaly.” He expressed hope that this choice would be supported both by other Local Churches and by Ukrainian society.

As a reminder, the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine, issued a statement on the occasion of the third anniversary of the UOC Council, which took place on May 27, 2022, at the Theophany Monastery. The Primate emphasized that the UOC possesses all the attributes of an independent structure and therefore expects its current status to be supported by the Local Churches.