International Orthodox Christian News

The Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church presided over by His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv and All Ukraine considered at its session the issue of introducing amendments into the Statue of the Russian Orthodox Church concerning the legal procedures for clergymen, made at the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church on July 24-29, 2008.
The resolution was made to send the respective Address to His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia:

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia,

Your Holiness!

In particular, we ask You to introduce into the paragraph 5 of Article VII («Church Court») the regulation, according to which the right of imposing canonical prohibitions such as lifetime suspension from service, deposition from the holy orders and excommunication from the Church in the boundaries of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church should be transferred to the Primate and the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The new formulation of the given paragraph might be as follows: “The canonical prohibitions, such as lifetime suspension in service, deposition from the holy orders and excommunication from the church are imposed by the diocesan bishop or the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and The Holy Synod (in the boundaries of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - by Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine and the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church) exclusively at the suggestion of the church court”.

With filial love,

† Volodymyr, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine

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