Archim. Kirill: Epiphany Dumenko twists statutory norms of his own Church

Archimandrite Kirill (Govorun)

The statement that “the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine appoints members of the Synod at his discretion and this statutory provision is ostensibly contained in the Statute of the OCU” distorts the “letter and spirit of documents of the Ukrainian Church,” shared his opinion on Facebook Archimandrite Kirill, an outstaff cleric of the Russian Orthodox Church. 

He said that the “annual (permanent) Holy Synod consists of the Metropolitan of Kiev as a chairman and twelve diocesan bishops, who are periodically appointed by the chairman in accordance with seniority of their hierarchal ordination.”

According to the Archimandrite, the task of the OCU head is not to appoint members but to determine who of them are senior by ordination and therefore, should become members of the Synod.”

He noted that, according to the text of Tomos, the Synod "is convened annually from the hierarchs, requested alternately by their seniority from among those that have dioceses within the geographical boundaries of Ukraine."

“The task of the Metropolitan of Kiev is not to appoint members of the Synod but to determine who among them are senior by ordination and to invite such people to the meeting. It is such a rule that provides for catholicity in the Church. The “appointment” of the members of the Synod at one’s own discretion is not permitted even in those Local Churches where the norms of conciliarity long ago became just a rhetorical form,” Archimandrite Kirill emphasized.

On January 5, 2019, the first meeting of the Synod of the OCU was held, in which 11 representatives of the new organization took part, including Honorary Spiritual Mentor of the OCU, Filaret Denisenko, former head of the UAOC Makariy Maletich, and former Metropolitan Simeon (Shostatsky).

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