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The Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which took place
today, June 24, adopted a decision to subordinate all parishes and
monasteries of Kyiv to the Primate of the OCU, Metropolitan Epifaniy.
Until recently, they had been subordinated to Patriarch Emeritus
Filaret.
Archbishop Yevstratiy (Zorya), who became the official representative
of the Kyiv Metropolia of the OCU said it during the briefing. "The
Synod has been discussing at length the attitude to the events that took
place on June 20 during the meeting in St Volodymyr Cathedral, which
Patriarch Emeritus Filaret called the Local Council of the UOC-KP, and
has adopted the decision: "Due to the failure of Patriarch Emeritus
Filaret to submit for registration the documents of the Diocese of Kyiv,
it was decided to subordinate to the Primate of the OCU all the
parishes and monasteries of the City of Kyiv, which until December 15
had been part of the Kyiv Patriarchate," the hierarch said.
The representative of the OCU also noted that Metropolitan Joasaph
Shibayev of Belgorod and Vicar Bishop of the same diocese Peter
Moskalkov were excluded from the episcopate of the OCU for participation
in the activities provoking confrontation in the Church.
Archbishop Yevstratiy also reported that Archimandrite Andriy
(Maruzak) and hieromonk Ilya (Zelensky), who were suspended from
service, may submit during a month a written petition to the Holy Synod
in the name of the Primate for consideration of their cases. "[The
Synod] holds that the clergymen's consent to episcopal ordination
without being elected so by the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of
Ukraine is the basis for a categorical refusal to uphold their possible
future requests to be accepted as part of the episcopate of the Orthodox
Church of Ukraine," the hierarch read the decision of the Synod.
Taking into account the special merits in the past to the Ukrainian
Orthodox Church, the Holy Synod of the OCU also decided to let Patriarch
Filaret remain part of the episcopate of the Orthodox Church of
Ukraine.
