Ukrainian Rovenky Diocese received into Russian Orthodox Church

Moscow, October 14, 2022

Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ in Rovenky. Photo: rovenky-ep.org.ua Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ in Rovenky. Photo: rovenky-ep.org.ua     

The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church resolved yesterday to receive the Ukrainian Orthodox Diocese of Rovenky directly under the jurisdiction of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill.

According to the Synodal report (Journal no. 95), the decision was based on a report and request from His Eminence Archbishop Arkady of Rovenky and Sverdlovsk and the Diocesan Council to be received into the Russian Church.

The Rovenky Diocese is located on the territory formerly claimed by the Lugansk People’s Republic, which Russia now considers to be one of its new regions.

Just a few days after the council in May at which the Ukrainian Orthodox Church removed all mention of the Russian Church from its statutes, the Rovenky Diocese announced that it was suspending commemoration of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine during the Divine services, considering itself directly under the omophorion of Pat. Kirill.

The Russian Synod reports that it resolved to receive the diocese “based on the need to maintain an effective canonical and administrative connection with the central Church authorities for the successful flow of Church life in the Rovenky Diocese,” and “considering the practical impossibility of regular communication between this diocese and the Kiev Metropolis.”

The Synod also refers to the resolution of the UOC’s Council in May that grants diocesan bishops “the right to independently make decisions on certain issues of diocesan life that fall within the competence of the Holy Synod or the primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, with the subsequent informing of the hierarchy, when the opportunity is restored.”

In June, Pat. Kirill and the Russian Synod also received the three Crimean dioceses, which had until then remained part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church even after the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014.

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10/14/2022

See also
Russian Synod warns of danger of schism within Ukrainian Church after status change Russian Synod warns of danger of schism within Ukrainian Church after status change Russian Synod warns of danger of schism within Ukrainian Church after status change Russian Synod warns of danger of schism within Ukrainian Church after status change
Only a Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church (including hierarchs, clerics, monastics, and laity) has the authority to change the status of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Russian Synod reminds in its resolutions from today’s meetings. Crimean dioceses received directly into Russian Orthodox Church Crimean dioceses received directly into Russian Orthodox Church Crimean dioceses received directly into Russian Orthodox Church Crimean dioceses received directly into Russian Orthodox Church
The Synod also resolved to create a new Crimean Metropolia, headed by Met. Lazar of Simferopol. Metropolitan Onuphry no longer commemorated in Rovenky Diocese in Lugansk Metropolitan Onuphry no longer commemorated in Rovenky Diocese in Lugansk Metropolitan Onuphry no longer commemorated in Rovenky Diocese in Lugansk Metropolitan Onuphry no longer commemorated in Rovenky Diocese in Lugansk
The clergy there will continue to commemorate His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia but will not commemorate His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine.
Comments
Andrew10/17/2022 8:34 am
Basil: Fortunately for us, it does not actually matter what country a diocese is in. The Church does not need to take a stance on whether Lugansk is in Ukraine or in Russia. Ecclesiastical borders don't have to follow national borders (in practice they usually do, but not always, and in any case they don't have to). The Rovenky diocese, for the record, is located in that part of Lugansk that has been outside of Ukrainian control since 2014. So this isn't a place that was RECENTLY lost by Ukraine, it was in a *de facto* independent country (the Lugansk People's Republic) for 8 years before now. Nevertheless, the diocese remained a part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, until now.
Panagiotis10/17/2022 3:47 am
They have every right to ask to be received into the Russian Orthodox Church. This area is majority Russian speaking, and many of the people are of Russian descent. There are also probably many who are of mixed ethnicity, and some who are probably not even sure of their ethnicity, because Ukrainian and Russian People are closely related and many intermarried. As long as they remain Strong Orthodox, then this is the most important thing to me. The greater issue is the Tragedy of our Orthodox Brothers fighting and killing each other. The internationalists are using one of their favorite tactics, I.E. divide and conquer. They do not care about the Ukrainian Orthodox People, because they hate ALL of our Orthodox People. They have always disliked and distrusted European ethnic people, I.E. those mainly in Southern Europe and Eastern Europe, most of whom are either Orthodox Christian or Catholic. This has carried over into the Western countries that ethnic people migrated to. You doubt me? Then take a look at the United States. Americans of ethnic European descent have constituted a LARGE percentage of the population of the USA for well over a CENTURY now. But never once, NOT ONCE, has there ever been a president of the USA of ethnic European descent. Not once. There has never been a U.S. president of Serbian descent, Russian descent, Slovak descent, Greek descent, Italian descent, Polish descent, Romanian descent, Bulgarian descent, Croatian descent, Ukrainian descent, Hungarian descent, etcetera. Could this be just a coincidence for over 100 years now? No my friends, this is what America's wealthy ruling elite and powerful internationalists want. But they now claim to like the Ukrainian People. God Almighty what hypocrisy. Let us pray to Almighty God to give our people knowledge. Let us submit to God completely, and completely fear Him. He will reward us, and protect us once we do this, as we are His people. There is an old saying: "The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom". Therefore, those who do not fear God will not have wisdom. Glory be to our God Jesus Christ! Just my humble opinion.
Panayotis10/16/2022 10:59 pm
Andrew, thanks for your reply. Why would the UOC accept and remain silent about the incursion of the Moscow Patriarchate into it’s canonical territory? The Patriarchate of Antioch broke communion with the Patriarchate of Jerusalem over a single parish in Qatar but here we have the UOC passively accepting the loss of a significant amount of its territory without a peep. In the interest of canonical order, the Metropolitan (and many others) are obligated to protest unlawful activities.
Andrew10/16/2022 10:11 am
Panayotis: The Synods of the Moscow Patriarchate and of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church seem to have adopted an attitude of acceptance and non-discussion of each other's decisions, which is probably the best possible approach in the current war. Moscow did not try to stop the UOC from declaring the greatest possible autonomy back in May (which basically amounts to autocephaly in all but name), and the UOC for its part did not try to stop the Crimean dioceses from placing themselves directly under Moscow. I assume the UOC will not do anything about the Rovenky diocese now, either. As such, the line between things done "with permission" and "without permission" has become very blurred.
Basil10/16/2022 6:10 am
Panayotis, enough with the hysterics. Rovenky isn't in Ukraine anymore. Lugansk is Russia. Just like Crimea, which also came under the Patriarch after Metropolitan Onuphrey ceased commemorating him.
Panayotis10/15/2022 4:46 pm
How has Metropolitan Onoufrios and his synod reacted to this? What statement has the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad published concerning this diocese leaving the ecclesiastical authority that it was under without permission? Will its Holy Trinity Seminary Press publish a book on the situation? And what are the “brave priests in Africa” doing about this?
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