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STATEMENT OF BISHOP DANIIL KUDYBYNA
A BISHOP OF THE AUTONOMOUS UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA
To My Brother Bishops and to All Orthodox Christians:
After a brief and prayerful silence, I, Bishop Daniil Kudybyna, feel that I have no choice other than to publically declare that I left the Omofor of the defrocked (“Patriarch Moisei”) Oleh Kulyk for the following reasons:
1. He openly teaches reincarnation and practices untraditional prayers. He openly, and publically, divides persons and souls into two categories, namely, the Godly and the demonic, from the moment of a person’s birth.
2. He neither recognizes nor venerates holy relics, and he considers the veneration of these as idolatry. An example are the relics of the beloved and venerable St. Seraphim of Sarov which he openly calls “the second Lenin.”
3. He changes the Holy Canons and Apostolic Rules at whim, discarding some of these and saying that they are not in harmony with Sacred Scripture.
4. He does not follow the Ustav during Services, but rather, he sometimes shortens and/or changes them (again, at whim), and he does not celebrate the Divine Liturgy during some major feasts of the Orthodox Church.
5. He ordains unmarried men and then later allows them to marry after their ordinations, thereby violating the Holy Canons and Apostolic Rules of the Orthodox Church. Also, he ordains men who have had absolutely no formal theological education.
6. He does not place relics into Antimensia but rather puts the Holy Mysteries of Christ’s Body and Blood into the Antimensia instead.
7. He intentionally ignites conflict and dischord among Bishops.
8. He uses vulgar, profane and demeaning words in addressing the Hierarchs and Patriarchs of other Churches.
It is possible to enumerate more irregularities on the part of Oleh Kulyk (the defrocked “Patriarch Moisey”), but the aforesaid points are what are most basic and most important from my personal experience in living with him.
I acknowledge that no Orthodox bishop, priest or layperson would ever agree with the above practices and/or beliefs, and that is why I cannot continue to have any association with Oleh Kulyk, and I feel the deepest compassion for people who, for whatever reason, remain under his influence.
I know that because of my Statement, vicious and unfounded accusations will be hurled against me just as they were against my brother Bishops who preceeded me in defrocking and disassociating themselves from the heretical “Patriarch Moisey.” In fact, he has already begun his process of slandering and libeling me. However, I am not afraid of any of these consequences, because I seek the truth, and I will accept every such attack upon my person as a test. I place all my trust in the love of God and His protection.
With love in God,
+Daniil
Titular Bishop of Elmira
Ukraine
Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America
AUTONOMOUS UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA
OFFICES OF THE HOLY SYNOD
UKASE OF EXCOMMUNICATION OF OLEH KULYK
+ IOAN, by the grace of God and Apostolic consecration, Bishop in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Orthodox Church of our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ, and Major Archbishop of the Archdiocese of the United States, Prime Bishop of the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America and President of the Holy Synod:TO ALL THE FAITHFUL IN CHRIST:
GRACE, PEACE AND APOSTOLIC BENEDICTION.
BE IT KNOWN TO ALL WHO READ THESE, OUR LETTERS CANONICAL, that We, acting under the Protection of Almighty God and by virtue of Our Office, according to the Holy Canons, traditions and Statutes of the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America, declare in the name of the Holy Synod:
The defrocked Oleh Kulyk (formerly known in religion as “Patriarch Moisey”), notwithstanding the formal canonical warning of 18 July last and the repeated appeals to him to desist from his heretical belief in and public teaching of reincarnation, has performed schismatical acts by the episcopal consecration of one bishop under canonical age and the ordination of deacons and priests, without synodal mandate and contrary to the will of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church - Canonical (now known, by amendment, as the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America), and has, therefore, incurred the penalty of excommunication.
In addition to the aforesaid, the Holy Synod denounces the following acts of Oleh Kulyk:
1. his proclamation of himself as Patriarch of Kyiv and All Russ-Ukraine, without full Synodal approval and with deception of certain members of the Holy Synod;
2. his sacriligious abuse of the Sacred Mysteries of the Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by placing the Sacred Mysteries in antimensia which he distributed, telling individual priests and bishops that these selfsame antimensia contained the relics of saints;
3. his re-ordination of Bishops previously ordained by validly ordained Bishops;
4. his recent illegal use of our jurisdiction’s Articles of Incorporation in an attempt to register his group of Faithful in certain areas of Ukraine, even though his name nowhere appears in the Articles of Incorporation as Amended;
5. his continued use of the name “Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church - Canonical,” a legal entity incorporated in the United States of America, to which he has neither a legal nor historical claim and
6. his libelous and slanderous remarks about some Bishops and/or Priests of our jurisdiction, remarks lacking any basis and/or foundation in reality.
Having taken into account all the juridical effects, We declare that the above-mentioned Oleh Kulyk has incurred ipso facto excommunication latae sententiae, reserved to the Holy Synod of the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America (formerly known as the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church - Canonical).
The priests, deacons and faithful are warned not to support the schism of Oleh Kulyk, otherwise they shall themselves incur ipso facto the very grave penalty of excommunication. We further warn those ordained by Oleh Kulyk to any Order of the Priesthood after July 18, 2005 that they have been ordained by an individual adjudged to be a heretic, thereby rendering their ordinations and all sacramental acts null and void.
In faith and testimony whereof We hereby affix our Sign Manual and Seal and the Seal of the Holy Synod at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on this 9th day of October, in the year of our Lord 2005, in the first year of Our Episcopate and the first year of Our election as Prime Bishop and President of the Holy Synod.____________________
+IOAN
__________________
Fr. Archdeacon Sergiy
Secretary and Notary of the Holy Synod of the
Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America
Ukase No. U2405
414-482-1633 . vladykaioan@aol.com . www.uaocamerica.com . 414-324-4004
Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church - Canonical's Deposed Patriarch Moisey (Oleg Kulyk) Declares the Veneration of the Relics of Saints to Be Idolatry, Erroneously States the Greeks Do Not Use Relics in Their Antimensia & Rejects Those Teachings of the Ecumenical Councils Which He Personally Interprets to Be Against the Teachings of Jesus Christ.Press Office of the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America. 3 September 2005. Translation into Ukrainian by Fr. Archdeacon Sergiy Larin, MD
Regarding the fact that many envious persons are spreading perverted information about me, I want to inform all brother and sisters in Christ:
My belief and my preaching are based only on true dogmas of Our Lord Jesus Christ and I don't change anything, not a letter.
With respect and faith I treat the Apostolic teaching and consider it to be very useful in development of the Church of Christ.
With respect and faith I treat the Old Testament and consider it to be the fundument of the New Testament. The same attitude I have to the Apostolic ruls and seven Ecumenical Councils, if these regulations are in absolute harmony with teaching of Our Lord. The regulations contradicting the teaching I reject.
With respect I treat the bodies of the saints, but absolutely don't perceive idolatry, especially fanatical worship to dead bodies and relics of the saints, which they also sew into communion cloth, when the Greek Orthodox Church doesn't have such tradition, as the God bequeathed in the second commandment as well as in the Old and New Testaments.
With faith and truth I serve to God alive, the Creator of the Sky and the Earth, as the Lord bequeathed in the first commandment.
Our Lord said: «Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the thumbs of prophets, and garnish the cepulchres of the righteous. (Mtt 23:29). «And say if we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets». (Mtt. 23-33). «You, serpents, you, generation of vampires. How can you escape the damnation of hell. Therefore, behold, I send onto you prophets, and wisemen, and scribes: and some of them you shall kill and crucify.(Mtt. 23-34). Any forms of idolatry God forbides in His commandments, as well as in the Old and New Testaments.(Lu 19:31, Lu 21:1, Lu 21:11; Nu 19:16, Nu 19:18, Job 20:11, Job 21:24, Jer 8:1, 2Ch 34:5, Mic 3:2/3, 1P 1:24, 1 Cor 15:50, Ju 1;9).
I develop the Church of God and hierarchy only on the fundamentals of the Gospel. That's why archpriests and the clergy of our Church are endowed with gifts of the Holy Spirit – prophecy, healing and preaching, which should be the spiritual content of the Church of Christ, and there should be not only outer beautiful attributes.
I believe that God has chosen me, unworthy, for development and renewing of purity of His Holy Church on earth. And as instrument in His hands I fight with any corruption in His Church. Archpriests, the clergy and the faithful should be like brothers and sisters in one Christ family.
I won't let to be in Church any malice, but if I will skip something, then God will purge His Church from anything mean and cunning, political, greedy and mercenary, frombuggers and sodomites.
I believe to God, not to people, and I strive to keep authority of the Orthodoxy in the people's eyes, who are sincerly looking for truth of God.
With love I treat all Christian confessions and all God's Churches and religions on the earth.
I am intolerant to any satanic movements and devilish distortions in Christian Churches.
With love in Christ
+ Moisey, Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine
Стововно фактів, які розповсюджуються про мене різними злобними людьми, і які є абсолютно спотвореною інформацією про мене, я хочу пояснити про це братів та сестер.
Я відношусь із повагою до Апостольского вчення та вважаю його дуже корисним в розвитку Церкви Хрестової.
З повагою та вірую відношусь я також бо Старого Заповіту та вважаю його основою Нового Заповіту. Таке саме ставлення маю до Апостольских Правил та до семи Екуменистичних Рад, якщо ці правила знаходяться в гармонії із вченням нашого Господа. Протиречиві правила вчення я не приймаю.
Із повагою ставлюсь до тіл Святих, але абсолютно не сприймаю їх за ідолів, особливо фанатичне обожнювання мертвих тіл та святих мощей, які також зашиваються в матерію для причастя ( антімензія), чого не роблять Православні Грекі, не маючи такої традиції, та посилаючись на другий заповід Господній та на Старий і Новий Заповіти.
З вірую та правдою служу я Гоподу, тому що створив Небо та Землю, як Господь сказав у першому заповіті.
(....далі Мойсей цитує деякі місця із Нового Заповіту, де він нібим-то бачить як Господь вчить проти ідолопоклонництва.....)
Я будую Церкву Бога та ієрархію базуючись тільки на Євангельскому вченні. Власне тому священники та ієрархі нашої Церкви мають дари від Святого Духа – дар порочества, зцілення та проповідництва., які самі по собі мають бути духовним наповненням Христової Церкви, а не тільки зовнішні прикрашаючи ритуали.
Я вірю що Бог вибрав мене, недостойного, для розвитку та оновлення чистоти Його Святої Церкви на землі. І будучи інструментом в його руках я борюся із любою корупцію в Його Церкві. Ієрархі, духовенство та вірні мають бути як брати та сестри в одній Христовій сім’ї.
Я не хочу дозволити перебувати в Церкві усякого роду злого наміру, та якщо я щось і пропущу, то Гоподь Бог очистить Свою Церкву від любої злоби та хитрощі, політиканства та содомії.
Я вірую в Бога, а не в людей, і я намагаюсь утримувати авторитет Православ’я в людських очах.
З любов’ю я відношусь до усіх Християнських конфессій та до усіх Божих церков на землі.
Я не переношу ніякого сатанистського руху та диявольських збочень в Христовій Церкві.
+Мойсей, Патріарх Київський та Руси-України
Original English Press Release in Risu at: http://risu.org.ua/eng/news/article;7108/
11 Hierarchs Leave Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church-Canonical to Join the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America
Religious Information Service of Ukraine. 24.08.2005, [00:34] //Orthodox//
According to the Press Office of the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America (AUOCA), 11 hierarchs have left the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church-Canonical (UAOC-C) and joined the AUOCA. RISU received the news on 22-23 August 2005.
To date, the following eleven hierarchs have left the UAOC-C and its head, Patriarch Moisei (Oleh Kulyk), to join the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America:
(1) Archbishop Chrysostomos, (2) Bishop Martin, (3) Bishop Gregory, (4) Metropolitan Thomas Logue, (5) Metropolitan-emeritus Yuri, (6) Archbishop Isaakii, (7) Archbishop Vasilii, (8) Archbishop Ioan, (9) Bishop Vsevolod, (10) Bishop Kyrillos (from Brazil), and (11) Mitred Archpriest Petros (Michael).
According to the AUOCA press office, “The UAOC-C and (Patriarch Moisei) Oleh Kulyk have still refused to take the photos of these hierarchs off the UAOC-C website, this despite the formal letters of these hierarchs informing them of their having broken eucharistic communion with him as well as their repeated demands to him to be removed off his website.
“The Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America is shocked to learn that deposed Patriarch Moisei continues to act irresponsibly, as on the Feast of the Transfiguration, he ordained a twenty-three-year-old priest, Father Daniel of Ivano-Frankivsk, to the episcopacy in Ukraine because of the withdrawal of the above-specified hierarchs and to build the UAOC-C's remaining hierarchy with what we consider to be uncanonical boy-bishops,” writes the AUOCA press office.
RISU note: On 22 August, RISU erroneously reported that Archbishop Chrysostomos had joined three other hierarchs in leaving the UAOC-C.
Source and previous related RISU news: Press Office of the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America. http://www.uaocamerica.org
• http://www.risu.org.ua/eng/news/article;6941/
Bishop from Ecuador Withdraws from Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church-Canonical
Religious Information Service of Ukraine 22.08.2005, [21:46] //Orthodox/
According to the Centre for Orthodox Unity, on 15 August 2005, Bishop Chrysostomos Celi, Ph.D of Ecuador submitted his formal withdrawal from the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church-Canonical (UAOC-C) to the church’s head, Patriarch Moisei (Kulyk) and asked for incardination into the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America. Bishop Chrysostomos joins an archbishop from Ukraine, one bishop from Ukraine and one from the U.S. in leaving the UAOC-C.
Among the reasons which Bishop Chrysostomos cites in his letter to Patriarch Moisei are placing the Eucharist, not the relics of martyrs, in the antimensia which the patriarch distributed to his bishops and the patriarch’s not disclosing the fact that he (Moisei Kulyk) had been married and has children living in the United States. Bishop Chrysostomos states, in his letter:
“1. Inside the ‘antimensia’ which you personally gave to each bishop present at the June sobor [Assembly] in Kyiv, there are no relics of martyrs, but possible holy gifts. You personally attested, to me, that the antimensia contained real relics from Jerusalem and on my own, as a bishop, I decided to open your ‘antimensia’ and test directly what I found to be ‘portions’ of bread, and I tasted and confirmed that these are bread and not bones. To reaffirm this fact, I asked a laboratory of an Orthodox investigator, and he confirmed that fact scientifically: the antimensia distributed by you contained bread, not relics of saints. For me and for the holy tradition of the church it is FORBIDDEN to use the holy gifts as ‘relics’ even if we believe in the real presence of our Lord in the consecrated bread, but your use of the Eucharist in antimensia is not sustained or supported in any document of the traditions, or by any synod of our church. It is unacceptable and against our spirit of respect and the true interpretation of the canons to practice this kind of use of the holy gifts. Apart from this troubling fact, I myself feel deceived by you, because you personally told me that the antimensia contained relics from Jerusalem. You lied to me.
“2. My priests and I are shocked to have heard here in Central and South America that you were married with a wife and two children in Michigan. You never revealed this fact to any of your bishops. You personally told me at the Monastery of the Caves that you ‘have no have problem accepting married bishops and that you are thinking about accepting some into our church.’ If you are ‘thinking’ in this way, we want to let you know that we are not in agreement with you, because if at certain times in the Orthodox Church married bishops were accepted, today, this is not the case. One day, you clearly stated to me: ‘Filaret [Patriarch Filaret (Denysenko), head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate] is a married man,’ putting him in a bad way. For me and for all of my clergy, a married bishop is totally unacceptable. If you were married and later took monastic vows, this is possible, but you held your marriage a secret and disclosed it to none of your bishops. For us, this is yet another deception which you practiced. We do not want to remain under a married bishop.
“Because of all the terrible lies, untruths and abuses exposed and discovered about you and your church, and because the biggest scandal for me came as a result of your attitudes, the people and clergy under my mantle decided to petition formally, for the well-being and health of our souls, incardination under Archbishop Ioan of the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church of America with the support of the legal and canonical Tomos of Autonomy given by Metropolitan Thomas (Logue), who himself has broken eucharistic communion with you and your church. I ask you formally to remove my name and image from your web page,” reads the letter of Bishop Chrysostomos.
RISU note:
The antimension (Greek "instead of the table") is one of the furnishings of the altar. It is a rectangular piece of cloth, of linen or silk, with representations of the entombment of Christ, the four evangelists, and scriptural passages related to the Eucharist. It often has a small relic sewn into it.
News source, source of note, and previous related RISU news: Centre for Orthodox Unity
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimension
• http://www.risu.org.ua/eng/news/article;6847/
• http://www.risu.org.ua/eng/news/article;6807/
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Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America Comment on Situation with Patriarch
Religious Information Service of Ukraine 11.08.2005, [23:28]//Orthodox/
RISU received on 11 August 2005 the statement of Archbishop Ioan (Miles) of the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America regarding separation from the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church-Canonical (UAOC-C). The statement follows below in its entirety.
STATEMENT OF IOAN, PRIME BISHOP OF THE AUTONOMOUS UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA REGARDING SEPARATION FROM THE UAOC-C
The grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God our Father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all.
While I would personally ask for solitude at this time, I feel it incumbent upon me to respond to the recent press releases in which it was disclosed that three of my Ukrainian brother bishops had asked to come under my mantle as Bishop of the Midwest for the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church-Canonical.
The allegations raised by my beloved brother bishops were so grave and were supported by the subjective experience of my fellow American bishops and/or clergy that I had no choice but to grant them their request. Much thought, consultation and, above all, prayer went into the decision I had found it necessary to make, because of the heretical teachings and blatant lack of due process practiced by Moisei Kulyk.
While [deposed Patriarch] Moisei chooses to reason by virtue of Canon 34 of the Apostolic Rules, he neglects Canon 15 of the First-and-Second Council which states, unequivocally:
“But as for those persons, on the other hand, who on account of some heresy condemned by holy Councils, of Fathers, withdrawing themselves from communion with their president, who, that is to say, is preaching the heresy publicly, and teaching it bareheaded in church, such persons not only are not subject to any canonical penalty on account of their having walled themselves off from any and all communion with the one called a Bishop before any conciliar or synodal verdict has been rendered, but, on the contrary, they shall be deemed worthy to enjoy the honor which befits them among Orthodox Christians. For they have defied, not Bishops, but pseudo-bishops and pseudo-teachers, and they have not sundered the union of the Church with any schism, but, on the contrary, have been sedulous to rescue the Church from schisms and divisions.”
Our Synodal investigation also found Moisei Kulyk to have been in violation of Canons 38, 40 and 68, among others, of the Apostolic Rules and also to have been in violation of the Statutes of the UAOC-C. But another acute problem arose from the fact that Moisei had never even met some of the bishops (and bishops-elect) whom he had incardinated into his Church. The fact remains that many of these men are “Internet bishops/bishops-elect” with dubious reputations, little or no theological education and with suspect Apostolic Succession. The problem also remains that although many bishops have written to Moisei Kulyk and his UAOC-C that they have removed themselves from his jurisdiction, he still continues to maintain their photographs on his website as though he still holds them as some sort of “trophy," and fails to respect their right to freedom of conscience.
I had made suggestions in the form of a plan to maintain unity to the head of the UAOC-C, Moisei Kulyk, but these suggestions were ignored. I was personally condemned as being disobedient and of being a “Judas.” The Canons and the Statutes of the UAOC-C were sacrificed, as I was told by Moisei Kulyk that the Patriarch alone was the supreme authority of our Church, that he was “above the Canons and Statutes of our Church, as God had made him Patriarch.”
For me, precious human lives and souls were at stake, and so I continued to pray to the Holy Spirit for a solution to the problem eating-away at my Ukrainian brother bishops: Vasylii, Isaakii and Vsevolod.
Our Bishops have the reasonable expectation that their brother bishops are free of heresy and agree to the Synodal structure of our Church. They also have every right to expect holiness of life, wisdom and sound doctrinal teaching of each other, as bishops, and of him who is their leader as first among equals.
They should also be assured that whatever the jurisdiction to which one belongs, the fact remains that all are brothers and sisters within one, holy, catholic and apostolic Orthodox Church, and that no one has the right to claim that his “jurisdiction” is the one, true Church of Jesus Christ, and, because of this erroneous belief, to ridicule and/or cause divisiveness within Orthodoxy.
There has to be mutual love and respect between the Churches.
The Ukrainian Bishops, Isaakii, Vasylii and Vsevolod have chosen to depose a heretical Bishop, Moisei Kulyk, and the substantive evidence which they have collected and presented in this regard has left no choice other than to invoke Canon 15 of the First-and-Second Council and to preserve the Orthodox faith through this separation. We here in the United States have given them a home in the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America, and we all pray that the Holy Spirit will guide us on our journey of faith, Christian charity and growth in holiness, and we extend our fraternal support for our brothers and sisters of all truly Orthodox jurisdictions.
Archbishop Ioan
Prime Bishop
Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America
Source and previous related RISU story: Press Office of the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America
Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America - Archdiocese of Ukraine Synod in Kyiv Names Prime Bishop from US
Religious Information Service of Ukraine 10.08.2005, [23:07]//Orthodox /
Kyiv—The Holy Synod of the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America (formerly the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church-Canonical) has unanimously agreed to elevate Bishop Ioan of Milwaukee and the Midwest [USA] to archbishop and to be prime bishop of the church. The meeting was held in Kyiv on 5 August 2005.
The synod met under the guidance of its president, Archbishop Isaakii of Cherkasy and Odesa.
According to the minutes of the synod, the members wished
“To express sincere gratitude to His Excellency Ioan, archbishop of the United States and prime bishop of the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America, for his firm and principled stance during the canonical disputes that appeared around the odd person of [Patriarch] Moisei and his heretical beliefs and which brought irreparable damage to Ukraine, the Ukrainian people, the episcopate and clergy.”
The synod also wished “To express the hope that Archbishop Ioan will work for the development of the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America, Ukraine and the diaspora and will adhere strictly to the holy canons of the Orthodox Church and that he will be a good archshepherd before Almighty God.”
The minutes were signed by Archbishop Isaakii, Archbishop Vasylii of Lutsk and Volyn, and Archbishop Vsevolod of Ternopil and Bukovyna.
Source: Press Office of the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America-Archdiocese of Ukraine (formerly known as the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church - Canonical)
Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church-Canonical Bishops Separate from Patriarch
Religious Information Service of Ukraine 09.08.2005, [02:06] // Orthodox //
Kyiv—The Sobor [Assembly] of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church-Canonical [UAOC-C] approved an address to the faithful about the impossibility of Eucharistic communion with the church’s head, Patriarch Moisei. The document, approved on 29 July, was received by RISU on 8 August 2005.
The document was signed by Archbishop Vasylii of Lutsk and Bishop Isaakii of Cherkasy and Odesa. The members of the sobor also ask other Orthodox denominations of Ukraine for spiritual forgiveness and understanding regarding the necessity of spiritual union. The document lists the following reasons for the decision regarding breaking communion with Patriarch Moisei:
1. Numerous public statements and sermons of Patriarch Moisei on reincarnation
2. Condemnatory statements of Patriarch Moisei on issues of the internal and external policy of other Orthodox churches that are officially registered in Ukraine, [namely] the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate, the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate, and also structures of government authority
3. The UAOC-C and its communities are forbidden to register by the court structures of Ukraine, which makes impossible the further activities of the UAOC-C under the leadership of Patriarch Moisei
4. The members of the sobor consider invalid the decisions of Patriarch Moisei regarding a number of bishops and priests of the UAOC-C who have been forbidden to serve and stripped of their status
5. The sobor has addressed the faithful with a warning about the spiritual harmfulness of the teaching of Patriarch Moisei and requested that the government forbid religious services and lectures that take place with his participation
Source: Press service of the UAOC-C
3 Bishops Leave Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church-Canonical
Religious Information Service of Ukraine 05.08.2005, [22:10] // Orthodox //
New York-On 3 August 2005, three of the four Ukrainian Bishops of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church-Canonical in Ukraine (UAOC-C), Archbishop Wasyliy (Luts'k-Volyn Eparchy), Bishop Isaakiy (Cherkassy-Odessa Eparchy) and Bishop Vsevolod (Ternopil' Eparchy), along with their clergy and people, have left the UAOC-C. Notice of their departures was served on Patriarch Moisei both individually and personally. According to the Centre for Orthodox Unity it is believed that more priests from other regions have also expressed their intent to leave the jurisdiction of Patriarch Moisei. The entire press release of the Centre for Orthodox Unity follows:
Among the collective reasons for their departures, the Ukrainian hierarchs are unanimous in their condemnation of:
1. The alleged public heretical and unorthodox teachings of Patriarch Moisei which have expressed his belief in reincarnation. Substantiated proof, they allege, was given in written extracts of Patriarch Moisei's lectures to people in Kyiv as well as in a video in which they say Patriarch Moisei clearly supports belief in reincarnation. Consequently, many of the faithful in Ukraine are looking at the UAOC-C as a sect rather than as a Church.
2. The allegation that Patriarch Moisei has become a divisive figure among the churches in Ukraine, and, because of this behavior, a court in Ukraine recently refused registration to the UAOC-C on the grounds that the UAOC-C, through the person of Patriarch Moisei, has caused extreme tension and conflict among the churches of Ukraine and will not be registered by the government of Ukraine.
3. The allegation that Patriarch Moisei has not followed the constitutions of the UAOC-C which were approved and implemented by the General Sobor [Assembly] of the UAOC-C in Kyiv on 18 June 2005. Among examples of this they stated that Patriarch Moisei suspended a priest without the right of this priest to due process in an ecclesiastical court as mandated in the constitution of the UAOC-C within 30 days of any such "suspension," as well as his not following the constitution of the church in having full synodal approval in the election and incardination of new bishops and in the fact that he ordained bishops in their twenties contrary to the 35 year of age requirement mandated by the constitution of the UAOC-C.
4. The allegation (which the Ukrainian bishops are asking to be investigated by the government of Ukraine) that Patriarch Moisei has solicited and received contributions from priests and faithful for the building of a church building and the collected monies for which (they allege) he has put into personal, not church, bank accounts abroad.
5. The allegation that Patriarch Moisei considers himself the sole authority in the UAOC-C, without question and that he has acted without synodal approval in most matters. They claim that despite the fact that the constitution of the UAOC-C states that the chief governing body of the UAOC-C is the synod of bishops, in reality, the UAOC-C is governed despotically by one person rather than by the synod of bishops. As an example, the bishops state that Patriarch Moisei proclaimed himself patriarch without formal synodal approval and through intimidation. The bishops state that the synod was neither asked nor permitted to put forth any additional candidate(s) for patriarch to run against the then Metropolitan Moisei. Many bishops, they say, were against the election of a patriarch, in the first place, due to the added political division which this would bring in Ukraine, but these bishops had no opportunity to voice their concerns and/or reservations.
6. The ordination of men to the diaconate and priesthood without any formal theological training, a factor which could lead to horrific consequences once these priests and deacons begin preaching and teaching the people of God.
7. The accumulation of many "paper bishops" who have no real knowledge of Orthodoxy and who can celebrate only the novus ordo Roman Catholic Liturgy and one Latin American Bishop who had been convicted of child molestation and who was subsequently defrocked when he ministered as a Roman Catholic priest. This bishop's vicar is also publicly known to be his lover, and
when this matter was brought to the attention of Patriarch Moisei, nothing was done to correct it and/or to protect the UAOC-C.
8. The allegation that Patriarch Moisei has made slanderous, libelous and unsubstantiated lies against any bishop who disagrees with Patriarch Moisei or departs from the UAOC-C. The bishops ask that if these horrific allegations which Patriarch Moisei raises against bishops and/or priests who leave to enter other jurisdictions had been true, why, then, did Patriarch Moisei accept them under his mantle to begin with?
The Ukrainian bishops have called for (1) all to return to the true teachings of Orthodoxy, (2) to work with and not against the other churches of Ukraine as sister churches to achieve peace and brotherhood, (3) to follow the canons of the Orthodox Church and (4) to respect the dignity of each person and his/her inherent rights to due process.
It is rumored that the Ukrainian hierarchs have appealed to Bishop Ioan, Bishop of the Midwest in the United States (UAOC-C) to come under his mantle and to grant their appeal to form a new, American-based jurisdiction under his protection. However, the Press Office of Bishop Ioan has not been able to be reached for comment at the time of this press release.
Source: Centre for Orthodox Unity
Orthodox (UAOC-S) Hierarchs in Diaspora Suspend Metropolitan Moisei.
Religious Information Service of Ukraine. 23.02.2004, [13:35] // UAOC //
Toronto -- Hierarchs of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church-Sobornopravna (UAOC-S) [governed by church council] in the diaspora, headed by Metropolitan Stefan, have condemned the activity of Metropolitan Moisei of the UAOC-S in Ukraine, suspended him from his duties and stripped him of his bishop’s title. This news was posted on the Ukrainian RISU site on 16 February 2004.
“Metropolitan Moisei has separated himself from our communion and is denying the Christian heritage of the church,” reads the English-language statement on the official site of the UAOC-S in the diaspora. “We cannot affirm his heretical teachings and therefore suspend his authority to function in the office of the bishop within our jurisdiction.”
The bishops write that “Bishop Moisei’s activities and practices are contrary to tradition and in no way reflect our views or the spirit of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Sobornopravna.”
In 2003, the UAOC-S in the diaspora recognized Metropolitan Mefodii Kudriakov as the only head of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church in Ukraine. “The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church of North & South America - Sobornopravna - as well as its eparchy in Ukraine, recognizes Metropolitan Mefodii Kudriakov as the first hierarch and spiritual leader of the UAOC Patriarchate in Ukraine and the successor to the late Patriarch Dymytrii,” reads the statement of the UAOC-S in the diaspora. “Our church does not support the movements of any other eparchies which may have decided to separate from the jurisdiction of Metropolitan Mefodii or which choose to recognize a different hierarch as the ultimate head of that church.”
“While there are today,” the statement continues, “many Ukrainian Orthodox jurisdictions which, due to circumstances of time and place, originate from the canonical Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church that was granted autocephaly in 1942 by the Patriarch of Constantinople, those which at present merely form eparchies of the Church of Constantinople cannot, by virtue of this relationship, freely lead the Autocephalous Church in Ukraine, which is by nature, a self-governing and fully indigenous ecclesial community. It is therefore, only natural that the UAOC in Ukraine be led by one who is a part of that entity.” By this statement, the hierarchs of the UAOC-S deny that Metropolitan Konstantyn of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church in the diaspora, who recognizes the Patriarch of Constantinople, can head the UAOC in Ukraine.
RISU Note: Metropolitan Moisei was appointed in November 2002 by the hierarchs of the UAOC-S in the diaspora and given the title “Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine.” This was done to establish the branch of this church in Ukraine and facilitate relations between Ukrainian Orthodox communities in the diaspora and in Ukraine.
Sources: www.uaoc.org/statement1.htm,
www.uaoc.org/metmefodiy.html, www.soborna.org
Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America's Synod Learns of Past Irregular Behavior on the Part of (Patriarch Moisei) Oleg Kulyk When He Was a Priest under the UOC-USA
Ukrainian Weekly, 12/29/2002 by Roman Woronowych, Kyiv Press Bureau.
Metropolitan Moisei, formerly known as Oleh Kulyk, was once a priest in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. (UOC-USA), which is based in South Bound Brook, N.J. He explained, however, that he had left that Church after it came under the jurisdiction of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Metropolitan Moisei said the Constantinople patriarch had banned concelebration of liturgy between priests of the UOC-USA and clergy and hierarchy of the various splintered Ukrainian Orthodox Churches in Ukraine.
Metropolitan Moisei added that the UOC-U.S.A. leaders, Metropolitan Constantine and Archbishop Antony, had not found a way to get around the ban set down by Constantinople. He stressed that Patriarch Bartholomew, while recognizing the UOC-U.S.A., would never allow for an independent Orthodox Church to develop on Ukrainian territory because it would be an affront to the Russian Orthodox Church with which Constantinople needs to maintain relations.
"When the UOC-U.S.A. came under Bartholomew, Archbishop Antony barred us from serving liturgy with the other Orthodox Churches of Ukraine," explained Metropolitan Moisei. He said it was at this time that he approached the UOC-U.S.A. leader to be relieved of his duties.
While Metropolitan Moisei said he had parted peacefully with the UOC-U.S.A., Archbishop Antony of the UOC-U.S.A. told The Ukrainian Weekly quite unequivocally that the person who now calls himself Metropolitan Moisei was given an ultimatum to either change his ways or leave the Church. Archbishop Antony that Father Kulyk, while a UOC-U.S.A. priest, had began to behave strangely during his time at a parish in Southfield, located outside of Detroit.
During his eight-year stay in the United States (1992-2000), during which he was associated with the UOC-U.S.A. until 1995, Father Kulyk served several parishes, including ones in Rochester, N.Y., and New Haven, Conn.
"He had the option of leaving or being removed, and he chose to leave," said Archbishop Antony. "He was relieved because of actions in the parish and his personal behavior - nothing immoral. He simply undertook his pastoral activities in a non-standard way."
Metropolitan Moisei, on the other hand, asserted that he had to leave because he was denied the ability to concelebrate liturgy with clergy of the other Orthodox Churches of Ukraine - an order he said had come down from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
Archbishop Antony rejected any such claims as absurd because, as he noted, even today the UOC-U.S.A. clergy are allowed to concelebrate liturgy with the clergy of any Orthodox Church in Ukraine. The UOC-U.S.A. leader noted, however, that prior to returning to union with Constantinople in April 1994, the UOC-U.S.A. hierarchy had made a decision of its own that only the leadership would not concelebrate religious services with any of the various Orthodox Churches of Ukraine.
"In order to be honest negotiators in trying to unite the Church, we decided we could not serve with one over another so as not to favor one side over the other," explained Archbishop Antony.
Source: The Ukrainian Weekly
http://www.ukrweekly.com/Archive/2002/520208.shtml
Constantinople Has No Association with Either Sobornopravna Church or Metropolitan Moisei Kulyk
Orthodox News Service. December 12, 2002
LVIV, Ukraine, December 06, 2002 (RISU) -- The Patriarchate of Constantinople has “no association” with Metropolitan Moisei of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church-Sobornopravna (UAOC-S). The metropolitan appeared in Ukraine in November, claiming his church had sent him “to unite all the churches in Ukraine.” The information from Constantinople was reported by the Department of External Religious Affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) on 4 December 2002. (“Sobornopravna” is a term that means “in accordance with the canonical regulations of Orthodoxy.”)
After Metropolitan Moisei’s appearance in Ukraine, various churches expressed their strongly negative reactions. The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC), for one, released a statement on 27 November, distancing itself from the metropolitan and his church. According to the statement, “We have witnessed …a massive publicity campaign in which ‘Metropolitan Moisei’ appeared to be the representative of the Patriarch of Constantinople, called to unite the divided Ukrainian Church. The UAOC patriarchate believes this to be a purposeful act, aimed to discredit the Patriarch of Constantinople.”
The ROC sent a letter to the Holy Synod of the Constantinople Patriarchate, asking to comment on the appointment of Metropolitan Moisei as metropolitan of Kyiv. According to the ROC, on 3 December 2002, Metropolitan Meliton of Philadelphia, secretary general of the Holy Synod of the Constantinople Patriarchate, sent a response. “In order to restore justice, we are informing that the Constantinople Patriarchate has no spiritual or any other association with Metropolitan Moisei and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church-Sobornopravna that he heads,” reads the response.
Source: Orthodox News Service
http://orthodoxnews.evenworks.net/doodad.fcgi?tcode=98&story=RISU12102002064130.shtml
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