3 Bishops Leave UAOC-C - 08/09/05 09:26 AM
I promised myself I wouldn't post here any more, but I just couldn't help myself, so here goes:
www.risu.org.ua/eng/news/article;6784/ [risu.org.ua]
Quote
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
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
www.risu.org.ua/
