Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church holds its session
On 3 April 2019, a session of the Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) took place at the Kiev Laura of the Caves under the chairmanship His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and All Ukraine.
Having considered the situation that has come about after the anticanonical “Tomos of Autocephaly” granted by the Patriarchate of Constantinople to the newly created “Orthodox Church of Ukraine”, the Hoy Synod resolved to issue a Statement on the Situation in Ukrainian and World Orthodoxy”
Members of the Holy Synod expressed their concern over the seizure of churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, this being a gross violation of the law of Ukraine, and noted the necessity of rendering support and aid to the UOC communities which churches have been seized. An ad hoc commission was set up for this purpose with Bishop Nikolas of Vasilkov, a vicar of the Kievan metropolia, at the head.
The Synod took decisions pertaining to the life of monasteries in different dioceses of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Centre for the study of the heritage of the new martyrs and confessors of the 20th century was opened at the Kiev Theological Academy.
Decisions were taken on glorification of the locally venerated saints of the Kiev, Kamenskoe and Alexandia dioceses. The Holy Synod settled commemoration day of the new martyrs of Izium on Saturday of the third week after Pascha and entered the Synaxis of the Saints of the Kiev Theological Academy and the commemoration day of St. Raphael of Brooklyn in the church calendar of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.