Orthodox Church of Ukraine
| Church of Ukraine | |
| Founder(s) | Apostle Andrew, St. Vladimir of Kiev |
| Autocephaly/Autonomy declared | 2019 |
| Autocephaly/Autonomy recognized | 2019 by Constantinople |
| Current primate | Metropolitan Epiphanius I of Kiev and all Ukraine |
| Headquarters | Kiev, Ukraine |
| Primary territory | Ukraine |
| Possessions abroad | — |
| Liturgical language(s) | Church Slavonic |
| Musical tradition | Russian Chant |
| Calendar | Julian |
| Population estimate | 18,300,000 [1] |
| Official website | Ukrainian Orthodox Church |
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine is an autocephalous member of the Eastern Orthodox Church whose terittory consists of Ukraine. The church is led by the Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine.
The Church emerged from a unification council which was convoked by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and took place in the St. Sophia's Cathedral on 15 December 2018[1]. The council succeeded to unite the previously divided Church of Ukraine (Kiev Patriarchate), the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and two eparchies of the Church of Ukraine (Moscow Patriarchate) that is autonomous under the Church of Russia.[2]. The rest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate rejected the unification council. On 6 January 2019, a Tomos of Autocephaly was granted to the new Church by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople[3].
Recognition and disputes
The autocephaly has been met with resistance by the other autocephalous churches, mainly due to the schismatic history of two of the bodies that merged in the new Church, the Kyiv Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. As of January 2022, the autocephaly has been recognized by the Patriarchates of Constantinople and Alexandria and the Churches of Cyprus and Greece.
Eventually, the head of the Church of Ukraine (Kiev Patriarchate), Philaret, denied that his Church was dissolved and distanced himself from the new Church.[4]
Unlike the OCA, whose autocephaly is also not universally recognized in the Orthodox world but which is in communion with all local Churches, most local Orthodox Churches have not entered into communion with it, still regarding its members as schismatic, while continuing to support Metropolitan Onufriy as the canonical primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). All Autocephalous Churches are in communion with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate).
References
- ↑ Unification Council elects head of Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Kyiv Post (2018-12-15)
- ↑ Ukraine Orthodox Church to be granted independence from Russian Church, BBC (2019-01-04)
- ↑ Bartholomew Signs 'Tomos' Granting Independence To New Orthodox Church In Ukraine, Radio Free Europe (2019-01-05)
- ↑ Patriarch Filaret admits split in newly formed Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Unian (2019-05-13)
| Autocephalous and Autonomous Churches of Orthodoxy |
| Autocephalous Churches |
| Four Ancient Patriarchates: Constantinople · Alexandria · Antioch · Jerusalem Russia · Serbia · Romania · Bulgaria · Georgia · Cyprus · Greece · Poland · Albania · Czech Lands and Slovakia · OCA* · Ukraine* |
| Autonomous Churches |
| Sinai · Finland · Estonia* · Japan* · China* · Ukraine* |
| The * designates a church whose autocephaly or autonomy is not universally recognized. |
