Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Canonical

Metropolitan Dionysius was elevated into the Bishop dignity in 1913 by Gregorios IV, the Patriarch of Antioch, who had the ordination in the lineage of Apostle Peter. [6]

In 1932, Metropolitan Dionisius ordained Metropolitan Polycarp (Sikorsky) and in 1942 appointed him to the Nazi-occupied Ukraine for the renewing of UAOC and ordination of new bishops. Thus, all the hierarchy of UAOC in 1942 received the canonical ordinations of Bishops in the lineage of Apostle Peter. Among the ordained into Bishops were the deceased Patriarch Mstyslav (Skrypnyk) and Metropolitan Hryhoriy Ohiychuk. [1] [7]

After the World War II in 1945 the UAOC in Ukraine was liquidated by the Soviet power. Some Bishops and the clergy of UAOC were delivered to the German concentration camps and some managed to emigrate to Europe and America, where they continued their church life and built the churches of UAOC.

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In 1990 after the celebration of the 1000-anniversary of Baptism of Rus in Ukraine, the new movement for rebirth of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church began. It was initiated by Metropolitan Jonh (Bodnarchuk), and in the central Ukraine, in April 1990 the rebirth of the UAOC was initiated by archpriest Oleh Koulik, who organized about 200 religious communities of the UAOC being the Metropolitan administrator for Khmelnytskyi, Vinnytsa and Zhytomyr regions.

In 1990, on June 5–6, the All-Ukrainian Orthodox Council was held in Kyiv where more than 700 delegates from the whole Ukraine took part, among them there were 7 bishops and more than 200 priests. The Council declared the fact of establishing the UAOC and elected Metropolitan Mstyslav (Skrypnyk), who had the episcopal lineage from Polish Orthodox Church, to be the Patriarch of Kyiv and all Ukraine.

On 2 October 1990 the authorities of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic registered the UAOC in the official order. And on 18 November 1990 in St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, Metropolitan Mstyslav was enthroned into the Patriarch of Kyiv and All Ukraine.

Since that time, Patriarch Mstyslav (Skrypnyk) had not only become the first Patriarch but he united the UAOC in Ukraine with the UAOC in the US and the Diaspora that had the lineage from Polish Orthodox Church. Since that time the hierarchs and priesthood of the UOC in the USA began to come to Ukraine, officiate in Ukrainian temples, to take part in ordaining the priests. Patriarch Mstyslav together with Bishop of Washington Anthony (Shcherba) consecrated Anthony (Fialka) for bishop of Khmelnytskyi and Panteleimon (Romanovsky) for bishop of Dnipropetrovsk, but those canonically ordained Bishops passed to ROC. Since that time the canonical ordination lineage in the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church disappeared.

On 25–26 June 1992, in Kyiv at the residence of Metropolitan Filaret, the betrayal of the UAO Church on the part of the Metropolitan administrator Anthony (Masendich) took place. He acted behind the back of Patriarch Mstyslav and all the clergy supporting the initiative of President Leonid Kravchuk as for the fake union of UAOC and ROC.

Patriarch of the UAOC Mstyslav (Skrypnyk) did not accept this treason of the UAOC and appealed to the Ukrainian higher authorities and believers of the UAOC not to acknowledge this unification and to oppose this betrayal. But the higher authorities of Ukraine supported the Patriarch Filaret (Denysenko) and illegally handed down all the church property of the UAOC under Filaret Denysenko.

On 11 June 1993 Patriarch of Kyiv and all Ukraine Mstyslav died. Before death, Patriarch considering himself and the UAOC betrayed declared his will that the UAOC couldn't have any relation to the former metropolitan of the ROC Filaret Denysenko who was defrocked by his mother Church – ROC.

In 1995, in two years after death of Patriarch Mstyslav, hierarchs of UAOC in the USA passed under the omophorion of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, to the fold of Mother-Church, breaking off the canonical branch that gave hope for the return to Ukraine of the apostolic episcopal lineage and revival of UAOC.

In October 2002, in the USA was held the Council of the hierarchs of UAOC-Sobornopravna of North and South America – the branch from Polish Orthodox Church that was headed by Metropolitan Hryhoriy (Ohiychuk) and after his death in 1985, by Metropolitan Andriy (Prazsky) (1985–90), then by Metropolitan Alexis (Nizza) (1990–99), then by Metropolitan Stephan (Babiy-Petrovich) (1999–2004).[2] the Council of the hierarchs of UAOC-Sobornopravna, having considered the current situation of UAOC in Ukraine, decree:

• return the ancient patriarchal model to the church system of UAOC-Sobornopravna;
• resume the presence on the Ukrainian land by the establishment of Archdiocese of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine;
• elevate Archimandrite Moses (Koulik) into the dignity of Bishop and assign in the rank of Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine to Ukraine for the establishment of Archdiocese of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine.[3]

On 10 October 2002, The consecration and elevation to the rank of Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine of Bishop Moses (Koulik) took place in the Boris and Gleb Cathedral of city Cleveland, Ohio, USA.[4] Metropolitan Moses is assigned to Ukraine "for the re-establishment of Kyivan Metropolitanate and the revival of UAOC-Sobornopravna in Ukraine with the right to complete administrative management and spiritual care».[5]

On 1 November 2002, in a press-conference held, Metropolitan Stephan (Babiy-Petrovich), the Primate of UAOC-Sobornopravna of North and South America, dedicated to the historical Council of UAOC-Sobornopravna hierarchs and its decision as for return of Church from Diaspora to the territory of Ukraine.[3]

Starting in 2002 and till nowadays, Vladyka Moses fulfils the mission of revival of UAOC-Sobornoprana canonical lineage in Ukraine, charged to him by the decision of Diaspora hierarchs.

In 2004–2005 UAOC-Sobornopravna in the USA saw events that changed cardinally the status of UAOC-Sobornopravna in Ukraine. UAOC-Sobornopravna of North and South America became UAOC of North and South America and Diaspora and, headed by metropolitan Mykhayil (Yavchak-Champion) joined with UAOC in Ukraine, declaring Metropolitan Mefodiy (Kudriakov) to be their Primate.

[8] [9] [10]

Due to such union, instead of return of UAOC from Diaspora to Ukraine happened the development of UAOC from Ukraine to Diaspora, thereby one more canonical branch of Ukrainian Church was abolished. UAOC-Sobornopravna in Ukraine, headed by Metropolitan Moses, kept apart from this union [11] [12] and acquired the status of independent jurisdiction. Metropolitan Moses realized the active educational work, converting into Christianity a great number of atheists in the post-totalitarian Ukraine [13] and called upon the unification of the scattered Ukrainians all over the world.

[14] [15] [16] [17]

On 17–18 June 2005, on the Feast of the Holy Trinity, in Kyiv, the Hierarchs Council of UAOC-Sobornopravna under the omophorion of Moses, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine took place, where the name of the Church was asserted as UAOC-Canonical by the decision of the Holy Synod and by the decision of the Ecumenical Hierarchs Council .[18]

UAOC-Canonical is the canonical successor of the Kyivan Rus Metropolitanate of the millenary Christening of Rus-Ukraine and has the very direct relation to the Tomos of autocephaly of 1924 granted by the Ecumenical Patriarch Gregorios VII on the canonical basis of the historical inhering to the Kyivan Rus Metropolitanate.

The mission of the Thomas of 1924 action renewal for UAOC in Ukraine by the decision of the Holy Synod of UAOC in Diaspora is entrusted to the canonically-ordained Moses (Koulik), Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine.