The Ninety-Fifth Session of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in Ukraine
On November 17–18, 2023, the 95th session of the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine was convened at the Marian Spiritual Center of Zarvanytsia and chaired by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the UGCC.
The central theme of this session of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in Ukraine is “The Role of the Priest in Parish Ministry during War.” It was prepared for consideration by the Patriarchal Commission on Clergy of the UGCC headed by Bishop Bohdan Danylo.
The Synod fathers studied the information provided, expressed gratitude to the clergy for their commitment and zealous pastoral service in times of war, especially to those who serve in the war zone, and made decisions intended to improve the parish ministry of priests in times of war.
The Synod also considered and agreed on the text of the Appeal of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in Ukraine on the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor-Genocide and gave its blessing to the work on the Message on theological reflection on the issue of war and the search for peace regarding new ideologies.
Participants discussed the pastoral situation in the UGCC in Ukraine, which was reported by bishops from the Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Odesa exarchates and the Kyiv Archeparchy of the UGCC.
The Patriarchal Economist of the UGCC, Fr. Lubomyr Yavorsky, reported to the Synod on the financial and economic situation of the UGCC in Ukraine and presented to the bishops the financial and economic aspects of the organizational development of the Patriarchal Curia and its structures as a strategic path of the organization, which encompasses all the measures that help the organization become more substantial and more professional.
Among other issues raised during the Synod was a discussion of the activities of the Ukrainian Catholic University in the current war conditions.
The members of the Synod were briefed on the activities of the UGCC Bureau for Environmental Issues, noted its outstanding activity, creativity, and effectiveness, and blessed it for its further work.
The next session of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in Ukraine is to be held in the first quarter of the year 2024.
Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in Ukraine
