News

14.08.2008, [16:38] // UGCC // RISU.ORG.UA

Kyiv — Heads of religious orders of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) are asking monks and nuns in particular to ask God “to bring peace to” Georgia. RISU’s Ukrainian-language site posted the news on 14 August 2008.

An address sent to the Information Department of the UGCC and signed by Fr. Venedykt Aleksiichuk, head of the Council of Superiors of Men’s Religious Communities of the UGCC, Sr. Margret Obereder, head of the Council of Superiors of Women’s Religious Communities of the UGCC, and Sr. Dia Stasiuk, head of the Patriarchal Commission on Religious of the UGCC, expressed the intolerability of civil war in Georgia, which in some way or another affects other states.

The appeal stresses that various forces are trying to bring Ukraine into the conflict. “It is very important now, when the world community is powerless, to find a way to end this conflict and that we, religious, pray to the Lord so that he will give strength and help to all people who found themselves in these trials, and also bring peace to this land and continue to protect our lands from war and all other catastrophes,” read the address.

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13.08.2008, [17:31] // Speech, greeting, press release // RISU.ORG.UA

Bishop Paul Peter Jesep, the USA spokesperson for the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Kyiv-Patriarchate (UAOC), Ukraine's third largest Orthodox church, issued a statement condemning what he called the “Russian invasion” of Georgia. Information received on 13 August 2008.

Bishop Paul Peter Jesep
By Appointment of His Beatitude
Metropolitan Myfodii of Kyiv and All Ukraine
Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations in the United States

Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church
Kyiv Patriarchate

Wednesday, 13 August 2008

UKRAINIAN AUTOCEPHALOUS ORTHODOX
PLEDGE SPIRITUAL SOLIDARITY WITH GEORGIA
UAOC Condemns Russian Invasion

"All Orthodoxy must stand with their Georgian sisters and brothers to denounce the Russian invasion of a peaceful, democratic people in an ancient, non-Russian land," Bishop Jesep said. "This is not a complicated, international political matter. Russia has invaded a democracy. Georgia, by its committed example to liberty, is a threat to Moscow. World Orthodoxy has a duty to stand with Georgia."

Bishop Jesep concluded by saying, "God bless Georgia, her people, and President Mikheil Saakashvili now and always. Ukrainian Orthodoxy is one with our Georgian sisters and brothers."

Bishop Jesep is the Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations of the UAOC, Ukraine's third largest Orthodox Church, By Appointment of His Beatitude Metropolitan Myfodii of Kyiv and All Ukraine of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Kyiv-Patriarchate

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13.08.2008, [16:58] // Ecumenism // RISU.ORG.UA

Lviv— On 10 August 2008, Fr. Mykhailo Romaniuk, priest of the village of Podusiv, officially made a confession of faith and priestly promises for faithfulness to the Pope of Rome, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), and the UGCC Eparchy of Stryi, in western Ukraine’s Lviv Region. Fr. Romaniuk and his faithful, previously of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC), thus joined the UGCC.

The process for the uniting of the two religious communities in Podusiv, Peremyshliany District, was started in 2004 by UGCC Bishop Yulian Gbur.

After making his promises, Fr. Romaniuk joined in concelebrating Liturgy with Bishop Gbur.

The interdenominational reconciliation occurred after a long process of discussions and meetings on the eparchial, regional, and district levels. The Stryi Eparchy initiated discussion of the theme of overcoming interdenominational problems in the Peremyshliany District. On 4 June representatives of the eparchy, the district civil authorities and the priests from Podusiv discussed questions of joint services involving Greek Catholics and Orthodox of the UAOC. On 9 August 2008 at a joint meeting of the two religious communities the need for religious unity in the village was absolutely confirmed. By liquidating the religious community of the UAOC and registering the single community of the UGCC the historical unity which existed until 1946 was renewed.

According to Fr. Pavlo Khud, head of the Press Service of the Stryi Eparchy of the UGCC, the faithful are satisfied with this resolution of the matter, inasmuch as interdenominational disputes in the village ended almost 20 years ago. Their example has started a process of initiatives for uniting which for a long time have been ripening in other parishes of the Stryi Eparchy.

Source: http://www.ugcc.org.ua/ukr/news/article;7391/

13.08.2008, [10:20] // UOC-MP //RISU.ORG.Ua

Kyiv— During a pastoral visit to the Mykolaiv Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) in southern Ukraine, Metropolitan Volodymyr (Sabodan), head of the UOC-MP, on 10 August 2008 celebrated a ceremony on the occasion of adding the new martyrs of Vasyliivskyi to the list of saints.

The Liturgy and order of glorifying the saints were held in the Cathedral Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God in the city of Mykolaiv. Fr. Serhii Shtenko and laymen Prokhor Bunchuk and Kyryl Pryimak were martyred during the communist persecution of the church in the 20th century and were canonized.

Source: http://orthodox.org.ua/uk/aktualne/2008/08/10/3375.html

11.08.2008, [17:02] // UGCC //RISU.ORG.UA

Kyiv — A session of the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) will be held on 2-9 September in western Ukrainian Lviv. The main theme of the synod will be evangelization. Patriarch Lubomyr (Husar), head of the UGCC, asked for prayers for the meeting’s success. ugcc.org.ua posted the news on 11 August 2008.

“What does evangelization mean?” So said Patriarch Lubomyr in a commentary for the UGCC’s Department of Information. “This means passing on the good news brought by Jesus Christ, that a person regardless of his faults, thanks to the charity and kindness of God, can be saved. Every one of us is a sinner and needs the help of God. It is a great joy to us that from a sinner can develop a child of God. Everyone who has already experienced this blessing should become stronger and share his experience with those who have yet to hear about this. This is evangelization,” explained the head of the UGCC.

Other themes of the synod of the bishops will be questions about the publication of the UGCC catechism, liturgical life, and much time will be devoted to addressing problems of ministry to those who are outside the developed structure of the UGCC.

Patriarch Lubomyr also stated that “the synod is not a parliament where something is decided by the most votes. A synod is a search to find God’s will, entrusted to the leadership of the church, the bishops. That is why they jointly pray and seek that which is necessary for the church.”

The head of the UGCC also thanked everyone who wrote letters expressing their ideas for the main theme of the synod and for taking part in the preparation of the synod.

Source: http://www.ugcc.org.ua/ukr/press-releases/article;7380/

HEAD OF GEORGIAN CHURCH UPSET THAT ORTHODOX RUSSIANS  BOMB ORTHODOX GEORGIANS
Portal-credo.ru, 11 August 2008

Patriarch-Catholicos of all-Georgia Ilya II devoted his Sunday sermon delivered after the Divine Liturgy in the Holy Trinity cathedral of Tbilisi on 10 August to the situation surrounding the military-political crisis in Georgia.

As a Portal-credo.ru correspondent reports, citing the official website of the Georgian patriarchate, the patriarch expressed his concern that Orthodox Russians have bombed Orthodox servants of Georgia, recalling that such aggression has never before been in the history of the two nations.

"Actually, we are confronted by very serious danger, but we are not frightened by this," the patriarch said. "God is with us and the Holy Virgin Mary will protect us, but at the same time one circumstance affects us very deeply; it is that Orthodox Russians are bombing Orthodox servants of Georgia. This is an unprecedented act in the history of relations between our countries."

The head of the Georgian patriarchate called his flock "to intensify prayers for the salvation of God-preserved Georgia." (tr. by PDS, posted 11 August 2008)

Source: http://www.stetson.edu/~psteeves/relnews/0808c.html#17