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The '''Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC)''' is one of the branches of the Church of Kyiv. It currently has an irregular canonical status. De facto this status is autocephalous, but it is not recognized by the Ecumenical Orthodox Churches.
[[File:Vladyka_Volodymir_12.JPG]]
==Revival of UAOC in Ukraine==
Immediately a search began for bishops for the restored church. On October 22, 1989, at the Council of Priests and Laity in Lviv, the revival of the UAOC was proclaimed. Bishop of the Moscow Patriarchate (MP) Metropolitan Ioan Bornachuk (who on November 14, 1989, was banned from ministry by the MP Synod) headed the revived of the church.
At the beginning of 1990 about 200 Galician parishes transferred to the UAOC. Because of the growing number of communities, the leadership of the church to ordained new bishops. Since the bishops of the UAOC in emigration at that time were not able to participate, the new UAOC bishop Vasyl (Bondarchuk) was ordained by [[Metropolitan Ioan Bornachuk]], Bishop of Volyn and Rivne of the ROC Varlaam (Ilyushenko), who acted secretly from the Synod of the ROC, and Bishop of Yasnopole of the True Orthodox (Catacomb) Church Vikentiy (Chekalin). As it turned out later, the '''latter was an impostor'''. Therefore, '''all of his ordinations were repeated in 1991 with the participation of foreign bishop of UAOC, Antoniy Archbishop Anthony (Scherba)of Hierapolis Ukranian Orthodox Church - USA - Ecumenical Patriarchate'''.
'''In spring 1990''' five more episcopal ordinations took place: '''Andrii Abramchuk, Danylo Kovalchuk, Mykola Hroha, Roman Balaschuk, and Volodymymr Romaniuk.'''
The Ukrainian Orthodox Council with the participation of 700 delegates from across Ukraine, including 7 bishops and more than 200 priests, was held in Kyiv on '''June 5-6, 1990'''. The council approved the renewal of the UAOC and chose [[Mstyslav (Skrypnyk)]] as Patriarch of Kyiv and Ukraine. The Statute of the Church was also adopted. Metropolitan Mstyslav was absent from the Council, and he did not accept his election as patriarch right away. [[Metropolitan Ioan BodnarchukBornachuk]] was locum tenens of the patriarchal throne in Kyiv at that time.
'''On October 2, 1990''', the authorities of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic formally registered the UAOC.
Because the UAOC head resided outside the country, as well as a number of internal tensions and conflicts in the Ukrainian part of the UAOC in 1990-1991, a confrontation inside the different groups and bishops emerged. This made it impossible for the church to clearly formalize its structure and regulate church life.
In parallel with these developments in the Ukrainian Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, which at that time was called the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, centrifugal processes took place from the Moscow church center. Kyiv Metropolitan [[w:Filaret (Denysenko)|Filaret (Denysenko)]] led this movement. With the support of the leadership of Ukraine, Metropolitan Filaret started a dialogue with Metropolitan Antony (Masendych) about the possibility of merging into one church.
The National Ukrainian Forum on Protection of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which was attended by bishops, clergy, laity of the UOC and UAOC was held on May 22, 1992, in Kyiv. '''And on June 25-26, 1992''', at the residence of Metropolitan [[w:Filaret(Denysenko)|Filaret (Denysenko)]], a Ukrainian Orthodox Council was held, which united the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) in one structure – the [[Ukrainian Orthodox Church–Kyivan Patriarchate]].
The [[w:Ukrainian Orthodox Church–Moscow Church (Moscow Patriarchate)|Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)]] was represented by Metropolitan [[w:Filaret (Denysenko)|Filaret(Denysenko)]], Bishop Yakiv (Panchuk), and two new bishops – Spyrydon (Babskyi) and Varsonofiy (Mazurak). From the side of the UAOC the council was attended by Bishops Antony (Masendych), Volodymyr (Romaniuk), Roman (Balaschuk), Sofronii (Vlasov), Roman (Popenko) and Mykail (Dutkevych).
'''The council chose Metropolitan Mstyslav as Patriarch of Kyiv and All Ukraine'''.
'''On October 17, 1992, the head of the UAOC dismissed Metropolitan Antony (Masendych) and Bishop Volodymyr (Romaniuk).
'''
'''On December 12''' the patriarch arrived in Ukraine for the last time. On December 23 and 24 in Kyiv there was a meeting with the faithful and the clergy who did not recognize the unification with the part of the UOC-MP headed by Metropolitan [[w:Filaret (Denysenko)|Filaret (Denysenko)]] (Denysenko). Archbishop of Lviv, Petro (Petrus), also participated in the meeting. The result of the meeting was an address from Patriarch Mstyslav dated December 24 to the president of Ukraine, prime minister, and prosecutor general of Ukraine in which he insisted on the illegality of the participation of bishops and believers in the Unification Council of June 25-26, 1992, and the violation of the Statute of the UAOC.
In turn, the Hierarchical Council of the UOC-KP (17 bishops) responded with a resolution dated December 15 that none of the actions of Mstyslav (Skrypnyk) has any validity without prior approval of the Synod. Patriarch Mstyslav himself was invited to participate in the council, but he flatly refused.
During 1993-1996 in the UAOC there was a confrontation between the newly elected Patriarch Dymytriy and the administrator of the Patriarchate Archbishop Petro (Petrus). The main reason of the conflict was Bishop Petro’s attempt to gain the power in the Patriarchate that he had received from Patriarch of Mstyslav.
'''In October 1993''', Metropolitan Evloghios, as Primate of the '''[[Autonomous Orthodox Metropolia Church of [[Milan]] of and Western Europe and Canada]]''' '''([[(Holy Synod od of Milan)]])''', was invited in His dignity of First Hierarch in full communion with the [[Ukranian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A.]] to partecipate at the sobor in Kiev for the election of the second Patriarch after [[Mstyslav]].
'''On November 18, 1993''', is confirmed by the Patriarch Volodimir the full right of Metropolitan Evloghios to be part of the Holy Synod of the [[Ukranian Orthodox Church]] - Kievan Patriarchate.
This initiative, however, was not implemented due to the sudden death of head of the UOC-KP on July 14, 1995.
The death of Patriarch Volodymyr stirred up Kyivan Patriarchate clergy who were dissatisfied with the candidacy of Metropolitan [[w:Filaret (Denysenko) |Filaret (Denysenko)]] for the patriarchal throne of the UOC-KP.
A session of western eparchies of the UOC-KP was held on September 10, 1995, in Rohatyn. At the session an appeal was sent to the locum tenens of the Patriarchal throne Metropolitan Filaret to withdraw his candidature for the new patriarch. At the session it was also decided to begin the process of unification of the branches of the Ukrainian Church. The appeal was also signed by 17 priests of the UAOC.
The election of new head of the UOC-KP was held on October 20, 1995, at the National Council in Kyiv. '''The new patriarch became Metropolitan [[w:Filaret (Denysenko)|Filaret (Denysenko)]].'''
A day earlier, on October 19, a group of bishops of the UOC-KP – Metropolitan of Ivano-Frankivsk Andrij (Abramchuk), Archbishop of Ternopil Vasylii (Bodnarchuk), Archbishop of Vinnytsia Roman (Balaschuk) and Bishop of Khmelnytskyi Mefodiy (Kudriakov) – announced its withdrawal from the Kyivan Patriarchate. Then in the Kyiv Feodosievsky monastery they met with the bishops of the UAOC during which the “Act of Unifying the Churches” was passed.
