2018 council to unite all main Eastern Orthodox churches of Ukraine into one church
The Unification council of the Eastern Orthodox churches of Ukraine () is a council which was held on 15 December 2018 in the St Sophia's Cathedral in Kyiv. The council voted to unite the existing Ukrainian Eastern Orthodox churches (the UOC-KP, the UAOC and parts of the UOC-MP) through their representatives, on the basis of complete canonical independence. All the members of the UOC-KP and the UAOC, and two members of the UOC-MP, merged into the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the unification council elected Epiphanius I as its first primate.
History.
Three Eastern Orthodox churches in Ukraine.
Since the end of the 20th century, three Eastern Orthodox jurisdictions have existed in Ukraine.
The UAOC and the UOC-KP were not recognized by other Orthodox churches and were considered schismatic. ROC officials stated that the anathematization of Filaret was "recognized by all the Local Orthodox Churches including the Church of Constantinople". The synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate did indeed recognize, in a July 1992 letter to Patriarch Alexy II, the defrocking of Filaret by the ROC, and the Ecumenical Patriarch recognized the anathematization of Filaret in a letter of April 1997 to Patriarch Alexy II.
Previous attempts at unification.
In 2002, Filaret Denisenko said: "The Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate [UOC-KP] and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church [UAOC], are not separated in faith, by position as to church canons, by their views on building up the Ukrainian state. Therefore, as we have no disagreements between us".
In October 2009 Bishop Makariy (Maletych) formulated the idea of a single local Ukrainian church under the Ecumenical Patriarchate's jurisdiction, which would be the result of the union between the UAOC and the UOC-KP. At that time Makariy had not yet become the head of the UAOC. Patriarch Filaret, the head of the UOC-KP, expressed support for the idea of a united autocephalous Ukrainian church in October 2011.
Preparations for unification of the UAOC and the UOC-KP took place in 2011 between the episcopates of both churches. In the end, the unification council between the two churches, which was scheduled to take place on 14 September 2015 between the UAOC and the UOC-KP, never took place as both churches could not agree on the future statutes of a united Ukrainian church. This unification attempt therefore failed, Makariy blamed this failure on Philaret's inability to negotiate. Before this, according to Filaret in 2015, the UAOC and the UOC-KP already had had four attempts at negotiations in the previous 20 years, the 2015 negotiation being the fifth. On 14 December 2018, Makariy declared in an interview to the channel "NEWSONE" that the UOC-KP and the UAOC could have been united "years ago" and blamed the UOC-KP for the fact that this union never happened.
After the October 2018 decision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Following the 11 October 2018 decision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to lift the excommunication of the UOC-KP and the UAOC and to grant autocephaly to Ukraine, preparations began for a unification council to institute an autocephalous Ukrainian church that would unite the UOC-KP, the UAOC, and those members of the UOC-MP who were willing to join. The date of this unification council was not set at that stage and, according to Filaret Denisenko, was up to the Patriarch of Constantinople to decide but he said he hoped that thanks to his church's efforts this council could take place before the end of 2018. Filaret said that the issue of jurisdictional affiliation of parishes would be decided by vote of the congregation of each parish. It was believed that a united Ukrainian church was a compulsory step before Ukraine could be granted the "Tomos" (formal decree) of autocephaly from the Patriarch of Constantinople.
On 12 October 2018, the UOC-KP communicated that the 11 October decision by the Ecumenical Patriarchate had restored the canonical recognition of the episcopate and clergy of the Kyiv Patriarchate. However, it was later clarified that Filaret was considered by the Ecumenical Patriarchate only as "the former metropolitan of Kyiv", and Makariy as "the former Archbishop of Lviv" and, on 2 November, that the Ecumenical Patriarchate did not recognize either the UAOC or the UOC-KP as legitimate and that their respective leaders were not recognized as primates of their churches. The Ecumenical Patriarchate declared that it recognized the sacraments performed by the UOC-KP and the UAOC as valid. The 11 October 2018 decision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate was viewed as a key step towards those two organizations merging into a single church independent from Moscow. The Russian Orthodox Church is linked to 12,000 parishes in Ukraine while the Kyiv Patriarchate and UAOC had about 6,000; however, it was believed that many of the Russian-controlled Ukrainian parishes may defect to the Kyiv organizations.
According to Filaret, he would undoubtedly be the winner in case of an election of the leader of a united Ukrainian Church "because Moscow will do everything to destroy the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. And therefore, in order to preserve the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and bring ["sic"] the cause to the end, [he] ha[s] to work to the end". Filaret declared he was ready to take the role of head of a united Ukrainian Church.
On 20 October 2018, in an interview with Espreso TV, the head of the UAOC, Makariy, declared that there was no negotiations in the direction of a united Ukrainian church and that after his last meeting with Filaret, at which Filaret said that only his statute would be used, Makariy began to question the success of the union. On 27 October Makariy told "Zik TV" he would not nominate his candidacy during the future council and would instead "support the one to be offered by the Ecumenical Patriarch".
In an interview to the BBC on 2 November, Archbishop Job of the Ecumenical Patriarchate declared the united Ukrainian Church would be called "the Orthodox Church in Ukraine". However, Filaret, head of the UOC-KP, declared on 2 November to Radio Liberty that the united Ukrainian church would be called "Ukrainian Orthodox Church" with "Kyiv Patriarchate" as the church's second name.
On 3 November 2018, Ukrainian President Poroshenko, in visit in Turkey, signed a cooperation agreement with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. According to Poroshenko, this agreement "creates all the conditions for the preparation process for a unification assembly and the process of providing a tomos to be brought into clear correspondence with the canons of the Orthodox Church." This agreement led to protests by hierarchs of the UOC-MP and the ROC. The text of the agreement was later released on 12 March 2019.
On 10 November, the website "Vesti-Ukr" allegedly revealed the heads of the UAOC and the UOC-KP, respectively Makariy and Filaret, had individually sent a letter to the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Makariy declared the same thing as in his interview to Zik TV: that he would not run for the position of head of the united Ukrainian Orthodox church. The real surprise was the fact that Filaret also declared he accepted not to run for this position either. In the letter attributed to Filaret, Filaret allegedly asked the Ecumenical Patriarch to support the election of the member of the UOC-KP Epiphany (Dumenko), currently officing as "Metropolitan" and "patriarchal deputy" in the UOC-KP and protégé of Filaret, as head of the united Ukrainian Orthodox church. On 16 November, Filaret's supposed letter was published by ZNAJ.ua; in this supposed letter, Filaret allegedly declares that he withdrew his candidacy at the request of the Ecumenical Patriarch.
On 13 November, at the initiative of President Poroshenko, a meeting between the episcopate of UOC-MP and President Poroshenko was scheduled to take place in Kyiv. The UOC-MP refused to meet Poroshenko at the Ukrainian House, preferring to meet Poroshenko at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra of the UOC-MP, and immediately notified Poroshenko of it; Poroshenko refused to hold the meeting at the Pechersk Lavra, preferring to meet members of the UOC-MP at the Ukrainian House. The same day, the UOC-MP issued an official statement in which the UOC-MP confirmed "its readiness to meet with the President of Ukraine, but on church territory." Nevertheless, in the evening, some representatives of the Council arrived at the Ukrainian House and met with Poroshenko. According to a BBC source from the president's administration, their number did not exceed 10 people, but they represented a much larger number of UOC-MP hierarchs supporting the creation of an autocephalous church. According to other sources, two metropolitans and the archbishop were present at the meeting with Poroshenko. In addition, Metropolitan Simeon of the UOC-MP had the letter of attorney to participate in a meeting with the president from 15 hierarchs of the UOC-MP. It was assumed that the voting of the hierarchs of the UOC-MP at the planned Council of the "Orthodox Local Church of Ukraine" will be carried out in a similar way (by the letter of attorney). On 14 November, some information concerning the meeting were revealed by Ukrainian President advisor Rostyslav Pavlenko.
On 14 November, "GolosUA" reported that on 15 November Metropolitan of France Emmanuel of the Ecumenical Patriarchate would come to Ukraine in order to organize the future unification council, he would also be the one leading said council. Allegedly, still according to GolosUA, the unification council would take place on 22 November 2018 and at that time the statute of the united Orthodox church of Ukraine and the text of the Tomos on autocephaly would be ready. The UOC-KP officially denied that the unification council's date had been officially released. On 15 November, UNN reported that Metropolitan Emmanuel had arrived in Kyiv to prepare the unification process; UNN also reported the unification council would allegedly take place on 22 November 2018.
On 19 November, the Ecumenical Patriarchate issued an official communiqué, stating that it "reiterates its sacred decision to grant the Tomos of Autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine" and that the date for the Ukrainian unification council "will be presented within December 2018" by the synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. On the same day, Filaret issued an official communiqué "[i]n connection with the proliferation of a number of publications whose explicit purpose is to sow confusion in the Ukrainian Church and in society" In said communiqué he declared: "Self-nomination for candidacy in the Church is not allowed by the canons. Earlier it was reported that the bishops of the UOC-Kyiv Patriarchate would offer my candidacy for election as the Primate. I thank the bishops for expressing my trust in me, as well as thanking for the strong support from the fullness of the Kyiv Patriarchate and the whole society." He added that if he was chosen as candidate by the UOC-KP, he would inform the council of the UOC-KP of his decision and explain it.
The publication "Levyy Bereg" cited sources of ecclesiastical circles saying that the probable date of the unification council would be on December 9–10.
President Poroshenko declared on 23 November that the decision on the approval of the tomos to Ukraine should be taken on November 27–29 during the synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and that Rostyslav Pavlenko, presidential advisor, would go to Istanbul to attend at the synod. Rostyslav Pavlenko went to Istanbul and 26 November, before the Synod, he was received by the Ecumenical Patriarch and had a conversation with him concerning "events in Ukraine and final steps toward the granting of the tomos of autocephaly (full independence) of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine". On 27 November Pavlenko told "Interfax-Ukraine" that the Ecumenical Patriarchate's communiqué concerning the granting of the tomos and the date of the unification council should be issued on 29 November. He said that at the unification council "the primate of this [united Ukrainian] Church will be elected, and he will go to Istanbul to receive [the Tomos]", he added that the arrival of the Ecumenical Patriarch in Kyiv was "not scheduled."
29 November 2018 communiqué of the synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The regular November session of the synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate started on 27 November and ended on 29 November, lasting three days.
On 29 November, the synod ended. Some like the "Religious Information Service of Ukraine" had expected the Ecumenical Patriarchate to give the date of the unification council of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. However, no date was given.
After the end of its synod, the Ecumenical Patriarchate later released, on its official