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{{cleanupThe '''Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church''' (UAOC) is the third largest Orthodox Church in Ukraine after the autonomous [[Church of Ukraine|Ukrainian Orthodox Church]] under the Moscow Patriarchate and the independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the [[NPOVKyiv Patriarchate]]. The UAOC, intro expandedwhich has its origins in the early 20th century in Ukraine, spelling. Not enough context givenhas preserved the vision of an independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Ukrainian nationalism in the Ukrainian Diaspora during the Soviet era and now in independent Ukraine itself.}}

The '''Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church''' is one ==Founding and Dissolution of the UAOC==For centuries what became the UAOC was part of the three major Orthodox Churches Church in Ukraine. The others include , which was founded by the Church of Constantinople and remained part of it prior to the independence of the [[Church of UkraineRussia|Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Rus']]. After the transfer of the seat of the metropolitans of Kiev from Kiev to cities further east and north (and eventually to Moscow Patriarchate)]] the territories of what today is Ukraine came under the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which had jurisdiction over the region returned to Constantinople and eventually to the [[Ukrainian Orthodox Catholic Church-Kyiv Patriarchate]]. The after the [[UAOCUnion of Brest]] has its origins in . It wasn't until the Sobor conquest of 1921 in Kyiv, shortly after Ukraine's new found independence. With the new nation being created, many ethnic Ukrainians living in Ukraine felt by the need for an indigenous [[Autocephalous]] Orthodox rising Russian Empire that its Church. There have been three different "resurrections" of was reunited with the [[UAOC]] in Ukraine, each following a period Church of political persecutionRus'.

==History==In wake Due to the cultural differences that had developed as a result of the break up Polish occupation and the Union of Brest the reunion of the Russian Empire some national groups sought autonomy or autocephaly from Moscow. In 1921 an All-Orthodox Church in Ukraine Sobor (Synod) with the Church of Rus' was called in Kievopposed by some Ukrainian Orthodox, who began advocating the Capital establishment of the newly minted country an independent Church of Ukraine. Although suppressed by the Russian Empire, and following its collapse in the delegation created the '''early 20th century supporters of an independent Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church''' held an All-Ukrainian Council ('''UAOC'sobor''). Because of in Kiev that on 5 May 1920 declared the actions establishment of the Sobor, the Sobor delegates had ordained Metropolitan Vasyl (Lypkivsky) as head of the an independent Local Orthodox Church. The UAOC was at that point independent of all other churches, and it claimed to haveobtained its autocephalous status a few years later in 1924 when Gregory VII, Patriarch of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch, issued a tomos re-establishing the Kievan Metropolia. The responsibility of establishing a new Synod of Bishops was given to the Metropolitan-Archbishop of Warsaw, Dionisij WaledynskyjUkraine.

HoweverThe UAOC sought for hierarchical support, but none of the Ukrainian nation did not last for very longhierarchs serving in Ukraine would join the Church and consequently in 1921 a group of clergy and laymen together "consecrated" Archpriest [[Vasyl Lypkivskyj]] as a bishop, enthroning him as Metropolitan of Kyiv and eventually the USSR came into beingAll Ukraine. The Soviet's were openly atheist He consequently "consecrated" other bishops for Ukraine and Russification was being introduced throughout the USSR. The Soviet government persecuted dioceses of the UAOC (for being Orthodox, formed in Canada and for being the United States by Ukrainian); nationalists and converts from Ukrainian Catholicism. (These eparchies later became the [[Russian Ukrainian Orthodox Churchof Canada]] also prevented and the UAOC from establishing their ecclesiastical order for some time. Eventually, [[Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA|Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the UAOC was erasedUSA]].)

During World War IIThe UAOC in Ukraine was dissolved following the Bolshevik occupation and annexation of eastern and central Ukraine in the 1920s. In 1924, however, the Ecumenical Patriarchate unilaterally rescinded the transfer of the Orthodox Church in what today is western Ukraine, Belarus, and Ukrainians were not being persecuted due Poland to the war (Ukraine was a battleground between Church of Rus' and established it as the German and Soviet Armys). On October 8, 1942 Archbishop Nikanor and independent [[Mstyslav (Skrypnyk) Church of Kiev|Bishop MstyslavPoland]] . Although operating on the territory of the [[UAOC]] interwar Poland and Metropolitan Oleksiy (Hromadsky) of officially called the Ukrainian Autonomous Polish Orthodox Church entered into an Act of Union at the Pochayiv (Pochaev) Lavra uniting these two church hierarchies. German occupation authorities and pro-Russian hierarchs of the Autonomous , this new Local Orthodox Church convinced Metropolitan Oleksiy to withdraw his signature. Metropolitan Oleksiy 's flock was executed primarily Ukrainian and Belorussian in Volynia on May 7, 1943 by UPA ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_Insurgent_Army Ukrainian Insurgent Army]) insurgentscomposition.

The Russian Orthodox Church regained its general monopoly after ==Restoration of the UAOC==During World War II in the German government strongly encouraged Ukrainian SSR. Most of the other churches were liquidated, and Belorussian nationalism as the a counterweight to Polish and Soviet government only recognized the Moscow Patriarchate (MP)resistance and influence in Eastern Europe. The MP It was revived at the time this that allowed dissident hierarchs of the Russian Revolution, as Polish Orthodox Church in what had been southeastern Poland and the only legitimate church in most of western USSR to declare the Soviet Union. Many accused it of being a puppet restoration of the Communist PartyUAOC in 1942. After the suspicious death of Patriarch Bishop [[Tikhon Polycarp (Sikorsky) of MoscowLutsk]] some churches sought to remain independent , formerly of Moscow; something that was tolerated until after World War II. In the post-war yearsChurch of Poland, many Ukrainian Orthodox clergy not affiliated with Moscow fled became the first legitimately consecrated hierarch to Germany or the United States. The UAOC in [[Ukraine]] was then liquidated by the Soviets with the assistance serve as primate of the Moscow Patriarchate. Any UAOC hierarchs or clergy who remained in Ukraine and refused to join the Russian Church were executed or sent to concentration camps. A few years later the same thing happened to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Western Ukraine (Galiciaits pre-WWII hierarchical consecrations had all been invalid under canon law) and Transcarpathia.

Re-gaining the state recognition ==UAOC in the late 1980s, Diaspora==The restoration of the Church was initially governed from abroad by Patriarch [[Mstyslav (Skrypnyk) of Kiev]]. Subsequent UAOC in Ukraine proved to his death, he be brief as the region was succeeded occupied by Patriarchs Volodymyr (Romanyuk) the Red Army in the 1940s and Dymytry (Yarema)annexed to the Soviet Union. Patriarch Volodymyr would, during his time as patriarch, separate from Those hierarchs and clergy of the UAOC who remained in Soviet Ukraine were forced to submit to the [[UAOCMoscow Patriarchate]] to found or else sent into internal exile or executed. Several of the Church's hierarchs fled the advance of the Red Army and ended up in the Ukrainian Diaspora in the UOC-KPWest, together with among them Metropolitan (now Patriarch) Filaret (Denysenko)Polycarp.

In 2003, the Church Sobor elected Metropolitan MEFODIY (Kudriakov) of Ternopil to lead following years the UAOC existed only in the church. As Father & Head of Diaspora, with parishes scattered across the UAOC worldwideglobe in Australia, North and South America, he is Metropolitan of Kyiv & all Ukraineand Western Europe. Since his elevationIt, he has worked towards a more global visibility for like other jurisdictions present in the churchWest following the Bolshevik Revolution, including a pastoral visit to the United States drifted in 2006and out of communion with world Orthodoxy. He has fostered continued positive relations with Following the Ukrainian government and other religious communities. The Patriarchal Cathedral repose of Metropolitan Polycarp in France in 1953, Archbishop [[Mstyslav (Skrypnyk) of Kiev|Mstyslav (Skrypnyk)]] of Parma became primate of the UAOC is the historic church of St. Andrew the First-Called in Kyiv1969.

Geographically the church now has a stronger presence in Western Ukrainian provinces with a smaller representation elsewhere. Previous ==UAOC Returns to 1995, there were more parishes abroad in Ukraine==In 1990 the Ukrainian diaspora communities weakening of Canada and the United States. However, many central government of these parishes now form the separate churches (which are eparchies Soviet Union allowed for the restoration of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople), UAOC in Ukraine for the first time since World War II. Not long after the UAOC accepted into its communion hierarchs and clergy led by Metropolitan [[Ukrainian Orthodox Church Philaret (Denysenko) of Kiev|Philaret of CanadaKiev]] of the Moscow Patriarchate and elected the [[Ukrainian Orthodox Church 92-year old Metropolitan Mstyslav as Patriarch of the USA]]Kyiv and All Ukraine, enthroning him on 6 November 1990.

The Following the repose of Patriarch Mstyslav in 1993 two new Patriarchs of Kyiv, [[UAOCVolodomyr (Romaniuk)]] however, has maintained an ecclesiastical structure outside and [[Dymytrii (Yarema) of Ukraine. There are eparchies in [http://www.uaoc.org North & South America, Western Europe and elsewhere]. Metropolitan Mykhayil Kyiv|Dymytriy (JavchakYarema) heads ]], were elected by factions of the [[UAOC]] in , those under Patriarch Volodymyr largely consisting of supporters of the former Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Philaret who together founded the Americas and other locationsKyiv Patriarchate of Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Significant growth has taken place It was around this time that both of the UAOC's dioceses in recent times in Latin North America. There is also a parish together with large parts of its Western European and Australian flocks left the Church to join the church in Canberra, AustraliaEcumenical Patriarchate.

His Beatitude MEFODIY continues to provide for After the spiritual enrichment death of Patriarch Dymytriy in 2000 the UAOC elected Archbishop [[UAOCMefodiy (Kudryakov) of Kiev|Methodius]] throughout of Ternopil' as Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine. Although the world. [http://uaoc.net In Ukraine] he UAOC has given special emphasis to established new dioceses in the Ukrainian Diaspora, it remains on friendly terms with its daughter churches under the improvement of seminary life Ecumenical Patriarchate and the education of candidates for the ministry. He is also committed has attempted itself to establish communion with Constantinople in the ongoing dialog for the unification hopes of the having it establish a universally recognized, independent Ukrainian Orthodox churchesChurch.

The UAOC today is concentrated in western Ukraine and has its headquarters at the historic Church of St. Andrew in Kiev. ==SourceExternal Links and Sources==*[http://www.uaoc.info/ua/ Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church] (Official Website of the UAOC)*[http://uaoc.org/ Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church in the USA] (Official Website of the UAOCUSA)*[http://www.uocc.ca/en-ca/about/history/ History of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada] (Official Website of the UOCC)*[http://www.ukrainianorthodoxchurchusa.org/history.html History of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA] (Official Website of the UOCUSA)*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_Autocephalous_Orthodox_Church Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church] (Wikipedia Article)*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriarch_Mstyslav_%28Skrypnyk%29 Mstyslav (Skrypnyk)] (Wikipedia)*[http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polikarp_(Sikorski) Polikarp (Sikorski)] (Polish-language Wikipedia) [[fr:Église orthodoxe autocéphale ukrainienne]][[ro:Biserica Ortodoxă Autocefală Ucraineană]]  [[Category:Jurisdictions]]