Archbishop Silvester responded to criticism of the decisions of the Council in Theophany and defended Metropolitan Onufry's course

Rector of the Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary, UOC Archbishop Sylvester (Stoychev), commented on the heated intra-church discussion regarding the status and decisions of the Council in Theophany, held on May 27, 2022. He defended open dialogue, criticized the position of some hierarchs who devalue the Council, and reaffirmed the unchanged course of the UOC on full independence, proclaimed under the presidency of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy.

The occasion for the wide-ranging discussion, according to the archbishop, was the recent participation of Metropolitan Theodosius of Cherkasy in a podcast. Welcoming the discussion as an integral part of church freedom, Vladyka Sylvester noted with regret that some statements during the discussion «bordered on insults and were imbued with disrespect for opponents.» He called on all participants, including himself, to develop a culture of dialog and the ability to hear the other.

The hierarch was particularly surprised by the calls of some bishops to «curtail public discussion» and return to behind-the-scenes discussions. Archbishop Silvester pointed out the contradiction: «often it is those who call for the curtailment of public discussion who now and previously have regularly made contradictory statements on various public platforms.» He noted that these hierarchs have been freely expressing disagreement with the decisions of the Council in Theophany for years, but consider it «not the time» to hear a different point of view, arguing that only their opinion preserves unity, while the opposite opinion divides.

The Archbishop expressed his deep dismay that some bishops have begun to disparagingly refer to the Council as an «event in Theophany.» According to his conviction, this attitude is a manifestation of direct disrespect to the Primate of the UOC, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry, who was the initiator and chairman of this gathering. «To claim that this council «was not free» and that it was allegedly held «with a gun at the temple» is to make direct accusations against His Beatitude,» emphasized Vladyka Sylvester, adding that at the Council all delegates, including the current critics, had full freedom of expression.

The key point of disagreement was the canonical status of the UOC. Archbishop Sylvester recalled that earlier opponents of the Church used the thesis of «unchanged status» to justify seizures of churches. Now, according to him, several ruling bishops of the UOC publicly state the same thing: that the Council has not changed anything, but only «changed the form of memorializing the hierarchy».

This position, as noted by the Rector of the KDAIS, directly contradicts the words of Metropolitan Onuphrius, who has repeatedly stated: «after May 27, 2022, we are no longer part of the Moscow Patriarchate». The Primate emphasized that the UOC has all the attributes of independence, including the independent election of bishops, the resumption of world worship and the opening of parishes abroad. Critics, on the other hand, argue that the UOC remains part of the MP, and that myrovarnie was a mistake.

In conclusion, Archbishop Sylvester expressed hope, noting that in response to the criticism there were numerous voices of hierarchs and priests who personally testified to the free character of the Council. «These testimonies of the hierarchs support our Primate His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphrius and his historic decision on the necessity of holding the Council,» he concluded.

Recall, earlier 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.