A Historic Synod Concluded in Zarvanytsia, Adopting the Code of Canons of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
On Friday, July 10, the 2026 Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which took place at the Marian Spiritual Center “Zarvanytsia,” came to a close. The main theme of the Synod was “Pastoral Care of Vocations to the Priesthood and Monastic Life.” Forty-nine bishops from Ukraine, Western and Central Europe, North and South America, and Australia participated in the synodal sessions.
On the final day of the Synod, after lunch, the bishops gathered in the conference hall, where Bishop Ihor Voznyak, Archbishop and Metropolitan of Lviv, thanked all the bishops for the fruitful synodal work for the good of the Church. His Beatitude Sviatoslav then expressed his gratitude to the Synod Secretariat, the technical staff, and all the ministers and employees of the Marian Spiritual Center “Zarvanytsia,” who worked hard to ensure the Synod’s success. The Head of the UGCC also honored Fr. Anibal Soutus, appointing him a protopresbyter and granting him the right to wear a gold pectoral cross.
Afterward, singing “Hail, Mary! ,” the bishops, together with the Head of the Church, processed from the meeting hall to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Zarvanytsia, where they sang in unison Ukraine’s spiritual hymn, “God the Great, the One and Only”.
As is traditional, the youngest bishops carried the candle and the Holy Gospel during the procession: Bishop Ihor Rantsya of the Eparchy of Paris, Bishop Mariusz Dmyterko, Auxiliary Bishop of the Eparchy of Wrocław-Koszalin, and Bishop Michael Smolinski, Bishop of the Eparchy of Saskatoon.
That evening, the bishops signed the synodal decisions, marking the official conclusion of the 2026 Synod of Bishops of the UGCC.
One of the key decisions was the adoption of the Code of Canons of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church—the Church’s main legislative document, which took 10 years to develop. The Code encompasses the centuries-old canonical tradition of the Church of Kyiv: from the ancient Kormchaya Book and decisions of Local Councils to contemporary ecclesiastical-administrative acts. It represents a new step in the development of the patriarchal structures of the UGCC.
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The Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Concludes Ten Years of Work on the Code of Canons of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
