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Statement of the Permanent Conference of Ukrainian Orthodox Bishops beyond the Borders of Ukraine on the The 24th Anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence

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Statement of the Permanent Conference of Ukrainian Orthodox Bishops beyond the Borders of Ukraine on the The 24th Anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence

24 August, 2015

To the Clergy and Faithful of the Holy Ukrainian Orthodox Church beyond the Borders of Ukraine and all Ukrainians in Ukraine and throughout the world celebrating the great anniversary of Ukrainian Independence, August 24, 2015 —

The Grace of God has brought Ukraine and all her faithful people to this, the twenty-fourth anniversary of its exodus from the evil empire, its declaration of independence and the enjoyment of the fruits of freedom, righteousness and equality.

Today, our ancestral homeland faces another almost incredible challenge to this independence through the invasion of terroristic forces sponsored and supported, as the whole world knows, by the neighbour that simply cannot accept the loss of its illegal and illogical domination a nation, which has been the most profound example of spiritual, cultural and social life for that neighbour for over a millennium.

The Permanent Conference of Ukrainian Orthodox Bishops beyond the Borders of Ukraine prayerfully rejoices on this auspicious and significant anniversary and is joined by our clergy and faithful in conveying heartfelt congratulations to our brethren in Ukraine and to those of Ukrainian ancestry dispersed throughout the world at this day’s celebration of the sacred gifts of freedom, independence and sovereignty.

Ukraine has never backed away from the challenges confronting her throughout history. Even during the most difficult of times, when to speak Ukrainian could bring death as attempts were made to annihilate the very idea of a Ukrainian nation, beneath the surface — within the subconscious reality of the people — their identity was alive and preserved, waiting to rise from the ashes like the Phoenix of old to become the nation she is today. Other nations of the world have all experienced the same challenges during the infancy of their independence and have only benefited from lessons learned — and so shall Ukraine.

In commemorating with gratitude to Almighty God such a great and precious gift as independence and sovereignty, we remain convinced that such gifts are, indeed, from God and are beneficial for the nation and her people if fully embraced and responsibly lived by all who are privileged to enjoy them.

Therefore, we call upon the citizens of Ukraine to be vigilant in the pursuit of freedom and to exercise it with a profound sense of responsibility and without abuse.

We call all to a shared vision of a nation in which all have the opportunity to grow and develop in every aspect of their lives by their own hard work, without corruption and greed, which destroy from the inside out.

Mindful of the immense responsibility, which is placed upon those called to govern, we prayerfully commend to Christ, the Way, Truth and Life, through the prayers of His Holy Mother and all the Saints, the Honourable President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, all civil authorities and those who serve in the military.

We remind them that the sacred trust of governing and safeguarding, which they exercise, is from God – the Giver of every good and perfect gift – and is to be exercised so that all the inhabitants of Ukraine might lead a calm and peaceful life in all Godliness and sanctity under the tranquil guidance of those who govern – for which we pray at every Divine Liturgy.

May God-loving and God-protected Ukraine, continue to develop under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

May she ever be that bastion of Faith and Righteousness envisioned by those sainted Fathers and Mothers — many of them martyrs — who journeyed with St. Olha and St. Volodymyr on that path which leads to Christ and the fullness of life.

May she be a land of justice based on a sound and honest legal system.

May she be a home from which her citizens no longer feel the need to flee.

May she be a beacon of light to all the developing nations of the world.

For our God-loving and God-protected Ukraine, her government, armed forces and all her people, we pray to the Lord.

With prayers and hierarchical blessings,

† YURIJ, Metropolitan

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada

† ANTONY, Metropolitan

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA
Locum Tenens of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Diaspora

† IOAN, Archbishop

Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Diaspora

† JEREMIAH, Archbishop

Ukrainian Orthodox Eparchy of Brazil and South America

† ILARION, Bishop

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada

† ANDRIY, Bishop

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada

† DANIEL, Bishop

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA

Paschal Epistle of the Permanent Conference of Ukrainian Orthodox Bishops beyond the Borders of Ukraine

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To the God-beloved Presbyters, Honourable Monastics, and All Faithful Children of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the Diaspora and in Ukraine,

“Angels in heaven, O Christ Saviour,
praise your Resurrection with hymns,
make us worthy here on earth
to glorify You
with a pure heart.”
(Paschal Stykhyra)

Rt. Reverend, Very Reverend and Reverend Fathers!
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ!

CHRIST IS RISEN!

On this joyful and holy day of the Most-glorious and Divine Resurrection of our Lord, God, and Saviour Jesus Christ, we extend most heartfelt greetings to all you Orthodox Christians with the feast of the Lord’s Pascha! The magnificent feast of the Resurrection of Christ calls all of us to consider again the eternal treasures of Christian teaching and offers a golden opportunity to fill our hearts with goodness and love for God and neighbour. The Resurrection of Christ unites us all through faith in the victory of light over darkness, goodness over evil and life over death. The Holy Apostle James reminds us that “as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” (Jam 2:26) And so, on these joyful days of Pascha, we should endeavour with especial diligence to prayerfully alleviate the suffering of those oppressed by sorrow, encourage the downcast, perform acts of mercy, love and compassion, and help those in need, who are waiting for us to offer our aid.

Every person, and perhaps even whole nations, experience in their lives various hardships, derision, suffering and at such times often talk about the victory of evil over good. How many times in our own lives have we ourselves fallen into despair? And so, in order to avoid disenchantment and discouragement, we must remember that evil and untruth are overcome and conquered through the Resurrection of Christ. With faith in the Risen Christ many generations of Christians have finished their earthly journey, accomplished their ascetic struggle of fasting and prayer, patiently endured suffering and sorrow and accepted death, firmly believing in the coming resurrection and eternal life with Christ. St. John Chrysostom stated,

“Today people have joined together with the angels, and, clothed in flesh, together with the bodiless powers now offer hymns. Today the dominion of the devil is destroyed, today the bonds of death are broken, the victory of evil and hell is overcome. By His Resurrection Christ has opened to us the path to salvation”.

The Pascha of Christ has especially great meaning for every Ukrainian this year. We all believe and pray that the Resurrected Christ will assist our Ukrainian people and our homeland of Ukraine to be victorious over her enemy and overcome all difficulties and obstacles which our people are facing. We know that Christ the Saviour also experienced a Golgotha, after which came the Resurrection. These words give hope to our Ukrainian nation that we will be vouchsafed exceptional joy, peace, and unity following the cruel war and enmity. Our faith would not exist without the Resurrection of Christ. There would be no eternal life and without faith. Consequently, our purpose and essence of our spirituality is our belief in the Risen Christ. The Resurrection of Christ has become the heart and foundation of Christianity. The Holy Church prayerfully calls upon heaven and earth in celebration of this divine joy:

“Let the heavens worthily rejoice, and let the earth be glad. Let the whole world, both visible and invisible, keep the feast; for Christ, our Eternal Joy, is Risen” (Tropar of the 1st Ode of the Paschal Canon).

May this bright Paschal joy encourage us once again to offer our thanks to the Lord for His great and limitless love for us!

How should Christians respond to this Divine Love and sacrifice for us sinners? We should orient our whole life towards gratitude to God, to the fulfilling of His Сommandments and to learning how to love one another as God has loved us. The path to realizing this goal has been revealed to us by the power of the Resurrection of Christ.

Following the Resurrection, the Lord appeared to the Apostles and greeted them with the words “Peace be unto you.” After hearing Christ’s words, the Apostles felt this peace in their hearts and they felt joy and the Peace of God instead of fear. Today, the words “Peace be unto you” are very important and relevant for the Ukrainian people. The Peace which is brought by Christ is also the Peace between nations and people.

In celebrating the Pascha of Christ, we should remember that the world today has many conflicts and injustices which give rise to resistance and opposition. We are not lacking in this respect. And so, may the greeting of Christ the Saviour – “Peace be unto you” – resound throughout the world, especially in our Ukraine. For our part, let us also hear the voice of the Resurrected Christ for only sincere and patient love brings us the gift of this long-awaited Peace.

During these joyful spring days, the hopes and expectations of the people for a better future awaken along with the blossoming earth. Therefore, let us strive to increase our good deeds and positive thoughts, which will contribute to the renewal and unity of our Ukrainian nation.

On the occasion of these festal Paschal days, we again extend our most heartfelt greetings to the clergy, deaconate, and monastics of our Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the Diaspora, to our youth and children, to all the pious Ukrainian Orthodox people in Ukraine and in the Diaspora, and especially to our brothers and sisters in Ukraine who are experiencing various kinds of difficulties and tribulations defending their homeland.

We believe and pray that a unified Orthodox Church will be established in Ukraine with the Lord’s help. Only under the conditions of spiritual unity will the Ukrainian people achieve a united nation. A strong Ukrainian society cannot exist without spiritual unity. Thus, may peace, love, and unity always be among us! On this joyous day of the Glorious Resurrection of Christ, let us forgive one another all insults and offenses, embrace each other and joyfully sing:

“Christ is Risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and on those in the tombs bestowing life!”

Truly, Christ is Risen!



With Archpastoral Blessings,

† YURIJ, Metropolitan

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada

† ANTONY, Metropolitan

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA
Locum Tenens of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Diaspora

† IOAN, Archbishop

Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Diaspora

† JEREMIAH, Archbishop

Ukrainian Orthodox Eparchy of Brazil and South America

† ILARION, Bishop

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada

† ANDRIY, Bishop

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada

† DANIEL, Bishop

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA

Українські Православні Єпископи США і Канади звернулися до Варфоломія І щодо подолання церковного розколу в Україні

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6 березня 2015

Повернувшись з України після семиденного візиту, в який входило відзначення 1-ї річниці пам’яті загиблих героїв Небесної Сотні (18-20 лютого 2014), єрархи Постійної Конференції Українських Православних єпископів поза межами України з 2 по 4 березня 2015р. провели зустріч в Клірвотер, Флорида.

Ініціювали збори Предстоятель Української Православної Церкви США та правлячий Архиєрей Східної єпархії Митрополит Антоній та Голова Консисторії УПЦ США і правлячий Архиєрей Західної єпархії єпископ Даниїл.

Участь у зборах також взяли: Предстоятель Української Православної Церкви Канади та правлячий Архиєрей Центральної Єпархії УПЦК Митрополит Юрій, правлячий Архиєрей Західної Єпархії УПЦК владика Іларіон та правлячий Архиєрей Східної єпархії УПЦК владика Андрій.

Як йдеться у повідомленні Відділу зовнішніх стосунків УПЦ в США, єпископи обговорили політичні, економічні і духовні труднощі, які існують в Україні, на Близькому Сході та в інших країнах, де живуть українські православні християни за межами своєї історичної батьківщини. «Владики заявили, що вони поділяють особливий зв’язок зі своїми братами і сестрами в Україні, а особливо з духовенством, яке продовжує вести своїх вірних та піклуватися ними за найскладніших обставин», – йдеться у повідомленні.

Йшлося також про зустрічі в Україні з предстоятелями різних Українських Православних Церков. Єпископи УПЦ в США та Канаді висловили занепокоєння «з приводу триваючого церковного поділу в Україні в той час, коли нація перебуває під атакою», і закликали єрархів різних Православних юрисдикцій в Україні «дійти до єдності та зцілення пораненого Тіла Христового-Церкви».

«В черговий раз, історія дає нам можливість для об’єднання в єдину Християнську родину в ім’я Спасителя, відклавши усі розбіжності. Цією можливістю, на відміну від усіх попередніх, ми не можемо знехтувати!», – наголошують владики Америки. Єрархи Постійної Конференції Українських Православних єпископів поза межами України підготували Звернення до Вселенського Патріарха Варфоломія І, в якому іде мова про обставини церковного поділу в Україні та можливі шляхи вирішення цього конфлікту.

Крім того, єпископи обговорили різні соціальні, світські та моральні проблеми, які продовжують впливати на парафії їхніх Церков на Північно-Американському континенті. Йшлося також про святкування 100-ліття обох УПЦК та УПЦ США, яке відбудеться в 2018 році. Урочистості з цього приводу пройдуть як окремо в УПЦ Канади і УПЦ США,так і заплановані спільні заходи.

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