Three New Ruling Bishops in the UGCC
On October 17, 2024, the Vatican announced that His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, with the consent of the Synod, accepted the resignations of three bishops who had reached the age of 75. New ruling bishops were appointed in their places. These decisions were blessed by His Holiness Pope Francis.
This was reported by the press service of the Holy See.
Metropolitan Vasyl Semeniuk of Ternopil-Zboriv is succeeded by Auxiliary Bishop Teodor Martynyuk of the Ternopil-Zboriv Archeparchy.
Bishop Mychajlo Koltun of Sokal-Zhovkva is succeeded by Auxiliary Bishop Petro Loza of the Sokal-Zhovkva Eparchy.
The Exarch of Donetsk, Stephan Meniok, is succeeded by Auxiliary Bishop Maksym Ryabukha of the Donetsk Exarchate.
According to canon 210 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, a diocesan bishop who has reached the age of 75 or is unable to fulfill his duties due to health reasons is required to submit their resignation. Diocesan bishops who serve within the Patriarchal Church submit their resignation to the Patriarch, whose acceptance requires the consent of the Permanent Synod, unless previously requested by the Synod of Bishops.
Biographical Information
Bishop Theodore Martyniuk was born on February 1, 1974, in the village of Dora, Nadvirna district, Ivano-Frankivsk region. In 1993, he entered the Holy Dormition Univ Lavra of the Studite Order, where he was ordained into lesser schema in 1997. He received his theological education at the Catholic University of Lublin and studied canon law in Rome: Eastern canon law at the Pontifical Oriental Institute and jurisprudence at the Pontifical Gregorian University. He also studied French in Paris.
He was ordained to the priesthood on January 20, 2000, by Bishop Julian Gbur, Eparch of Stryi. From 2010 to 2015, he served as hegumen of the Holy Dormition Univ Lavra, taught Eastern canon law at the Pontifical Oriental Institute, and served as deputy chairman of the Council of Superiors of the UGCC men’s institutes of consecrated life.
On March 12, 2015, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Ternopil-Zboriv Archeparchy and titular bishop of Mopti. His episcopal ordination took place on May 22, 2015, in Zarvanytsia. His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the UGCC, was the principal consecrator, and the co-consecrators were Archbishop and Metropolitan of Ternopil-Zboriv Vasyl Semeniuk and Auxiliary Bishop of the Lviv Archeparchy Venedykt Aleksiychuk.
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Bishop Petro Loza was born on June 3, 1979, in the village of Kolodentsi, Kamianka-Buzka district, Lviv region. In 1997, he joined the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists), where he took his perpetual vows in 2003. He received his theological education at the University of Innsbruck in Austria.
He was ordained to the priesthood on August 26, 2007, by Archbishop and Metropolitan Ihor Vozniak in Lviv. As a priest, he served in Vinnytsia, Hnizdychiv-Kokhavyno, Lviv, and Chernihiv.
On April 12, 2018, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Sokal-Zhovkva and titular bishop of Panium. His episcopal ordination took place on July 12, 2018, at the Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Sokal. His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the UGCC, was the principal consecrator, with Metropolitan Ihor Vozniak of Lviv and Eparch Mychajlo Koltun of Sokal-Zhovkva as co-consecrators.
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Bishop Maksym Ryabukha was born on May 18, 1980, in Lviv. In 1999, he entered the Salesian Order, taking his perpetual vows in 2005. He studied philosophy and theology at the Salesian Pontifical University in Italy. In addition, he earned higher education degrees from the Interregional Academy of Personnel Management (Specialist in Law), Lviv Polytechnic National University (Master of Education Management), and Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian University (Master of Social Pedagogy).
He was ordained to the priesthood on August 4, 2007, by Bishop Andriy Sapeliak in Lviv. He served as a priest in Lviv, Vynnyky, Odesa, Dnipro, and Kyiv. From 2016 to 2018, he worked at the Apostolic Nunciature in Ukraine as an interpreter for the nuncio.
On September 19, 2022, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Donetsk Exarchate and titular bishop of Stefaniako. His episcopal ordination took place on December 22, 2022, at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Kyiv. The principal consecrator was His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the UGCC, with Exarch of Donetsk Stepan Meniok and Auxiliary Bishop of the Kyiv Archeparchy Yosyf Milan as co-consecrators.
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