The Resolutions of the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

With Grace of God

And in full communion

With the Apostolic See

Sviatoslav,

The Major Archbishop Kyiv-Galician of the

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

The Most Reverend and Reverend Archbishops,

The venerable spiritual fathers, Blessed Monks and Nuns

and laity of the local Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

 

I proclaim and publish

Resolutions of

The Synod of Bishops  of the

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

Lviv-Bryukhovychi, 7-14 September 2014 Year of God

 

1. Approve the schedule of the session days of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in 2014.

2. Approve the agenda of the Synod of Bishops in 2014 with amended supplement.

3 .Consider the implementation of the decisions of the Synod of Bishops in 2013.

4. Consider the report on the activities of the Patriarchal Curia of the UGCC in the past year.

5. Consider the summary of the reports about the activity of commissions and departments of patriarchal level.

6. Consider the report on the activities of the Patriarchal Commission for Clergy.

7. Consider the report on the activities of the Synodal Committee for Religious and appoint the head of the Patriarchal Commission for Religious Right Reverend Bishop Mykhaylo (Bubniy).

8. For the faithful of the UGCC to be improved in the management of God-given gifts:

A. Accept the biblical studying "Managing of God-given gifts - a way of Christian life" as one of the means of evangelization in the UGCC.

B. Instruct the Working Group of implementation of the Strategy 2020 to prepare the materials and programs that will help Church to improve the management of the God-given gifts at the parish, diocesan and general Church level.

C. Call the diocesan bishops to create, where this is not done, the diocesan pastoral councils and councils of Economic Affairs, in accordance with the requirements of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, for more effective and responsible management of God-given gifts.

9. For the sake of theology development in the UGCC:

A. Instruct the HR Commission of Kyiv-Galician Major Archbishopric in cooperation with the theological department of the Patriarchal Curia to work out a program of measures to consolidate and intensify the human and theological academic environment of the UGCC and its effective involvement in the mission of the Church on сhurch, diocesan and parish levels.

B. Instruct the Ukrainian Catholic University and other academic institutions of the UGCC in cooperation with the theological department of the Patriarchal Curia to work out the program "The research of vesting the Kyivan Church and theology development of the UGCC" and practical steps for its implementation in the following directions:

· Scientific-research: the study of Eastern Christian (including Ukrainian) traditions;

· Training: coordination and further development of the programs in theology and church history in the educational institutions of the UGCC according to the Eastern Christian Church identity and contemporary needs;

· Popularizational-educational: teaching, publishing, media and other evangelistic and educational activities;

· Publishing: planning and coordination of academic and theological, scientific and popular publishing activity of  the UGCC;

· Spiritual-liturgical: development and implementation of pastoral and educational programs aimed at fostering the special connection between parish life of the faithful, Byzantine-Slavonic liturgy and intellectual and theological dimension of the Church's life;

· Sacral-Art and church singing: the scientific reseach of church and artistic heritage and nurturing of  liturgical music schools, iconography and religious art.

C. Instruct the Theological Faculty of the Ukrainian Catholic University in collaboration with the Department of Pastoral migration of the Patriarchal Curia to organize the training program for pastors for the faithful of the UGCC in countries where there are no hierarchical structures of the UGCC.

D. Instruct the Ukrainian Catholic University and the Institute of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky in Ottawa to hold conferences to analyze the current state of theological education of the UGCC.

E. Pay attention of the leaders of church educational and research institutions on the need to preserve appropriate scientific training and ethical standards in their academic activity and preventing of the cases of plagiarism, writing research papers by request and so on.

10. To improve the pastoral care of families:

A. Remind diocesan bishops about the duty to provide proper training of spouses for the married life, in particular through the established at the dioceses Centers of premarried training.

B. Instruct the Commission of Kyiv-Galician Major Archbishopric of the Family to develop a program of pastoral care for divorced, living in a new marriage and couples living without the Sacrament of Marriage.

C. Instruct the diocesan bishops to draw the attention of all pastors of the UGCC on the need to revive the pastoral care of couples, especially young married couples, large families, the elderly and families of those killed in the revolution of dignity and antiterroristical operation in Ukraine in 2013-2014 years.

D. Instruct the diocesan bishops to encourage and support the creating at the parishes and at the deanal and diocesan levels the profamily movements, movements for the life, the programs of Christian entertainment of families in order to promote the family and the Christian family values ​​in the society.

11. For the regulation of the canonical-legal aspects of the Church life:

A.    Instruct the canonical Department of the Patriarchal Curia of the UGCC to the next Synod of Bishops to prepare projects of such proof setters and statutes:

· Parish proof setter;

· Proof setter of the protopresbyter;

· Statute of the diocesan cathedral;

· Proof setter of episcopal visitation;

· Statute of the parish;

· Statute of the diocese;

· Statute of the  metropolis;

· Set of the typical forms for the Sacrament of Marriage;

· Set of the typical forms for the request for Dispensation and other liberation and blessing.

B. Remind the diocesan bishops about the duty of creation in their own dioceses and exarchates the church tribunals, where they have not been done.

C. Instruct the Ukrainian Society of canonists to initiate the appropriate measures to produce a periodical of canon law.

D. Instruct the Ukrainian Society of canonists to present the Head of the Church for approval a group of canonists for the preparing the publication of the enhanced translation of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, enriched by the accepted of the Synod of Bishops canons of the Particular law.

12. Approve for a three-year probation with the submitted amendments and supplements canons of the Particular law of the UGCC.

 13. Choose the Most Reverend Bishop Yevgen (Popovych) as a Chairman of the Canon Department of the Patriarchal Curia of the UGCC.

14. Assign the Most Reverend Bishop Igor (Vozniak) and the Reverend Bishop Stephan (Khmilyar) as the Members of the Audit Committee of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, instead of the Reverend Bishops Severian (Yakymyshyn) and Vasyl’ (Medvit).

15. Ascertain that collected donations during the Decade of mission will be distributed equally among church and local needs, unless the local diocesan bishop decides to change the ratio in favor of the general Church needs.

16. Approve the Statute of Church-wide missionary fund of the UGCC.

17. Set rules of alienation of church property for dioceses and exarchates in the Kyiv-Galician Major Archbishopric in accordance with the approved Proof setter.

18. To organize practices of accomplishments of the Holy Sacraments and the Eucharist of small children in the UGCC:

A. Charge the Patriarchal Catechetical Commission, in cooperation with the Patriarchal Liturgical Commission to process and issue the Guidance with detailed explanations and pastoral guidance for priests, catechists and all the faithful concerning the accomplishment for the Holy Sacraments of Christian initiation and the Eucharism of small children in the UGCC.

B. Instruct the Patriarchal Catechetical Commission, in cooperation with the Patriarchal Liturgical Commission to issue the Guidance to priests for the accomplishment for the Holy Sacraments of Christian initiation during the Divine Liturgy and familiarize them with the contents and practice of this Instruction during the formational meetings in the dioceses.

C. Instruct the Patriarchal Liturgical Commission with the Patriarchal Catechetical Commission to process and issue the Rite of fulfillment of the Holy Sacraments of Christian initiation during the Divine Liturgy with clear headings for the priests.

19. Bless the further work on the Catechism of the UGCC for young people, according to the proposed structure.

20. For the proper preparation for the World Youth Day 2016 in Krakow:

A. Create an organizing committee of the preparation of the UGCC youth to participate in the World Youth Day 2016 in Krakow and instruct the Most Reverend Bishop Brian (Bayda) to head this committee and to form its structure.

B. Instruct the organizing committee of the preparation of the UGCC youth to participate in the World Youth Day 2016 in Krakow until the end of October 2014 AD to work out proposals for the preparation and participation of the UGCC youth in the World Youth Day.

21. Create the organizing committee of the millennium celebration of the martyr death of saint martyrs Borys and Glib and appoint the Reverend Bishops Borys (Gudziak) and Glib (Lonchyna) as its co-chairs.

22. Ask the Reverend Bishop Yevgen (Popovych) to work up till the end of 2014 the program of the 200th anniversary celebrating of the birth of the Father Mykhaylo Verbytskyi, the author of the hymn melody of Ukraine.

23. Take as a basis the project of the Position of the Visitor (delegate) in the areas where there are no hierarchical structures of the UGCC, with the inserted amendments and proposals.

24. Take as a basis the project of the Spiritual and Pastoral proof setter for priests who are in the areas where there are no hierarchical structures of the UGCC, with the inserted amendments and proposals.

25. Approve for a three-year probation term the Statute of the Canon department of the Patriarchal Curia of the UGCC.

26. Approve the Proof setter of Permanent Synod of the UGCC.

27. Approve the text of the Appeal of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC "Ukraine is running blood!”.

28. Approve the amended and supplemented texts of the synodal letters to the Holy Father, the President of Ukraine, the Head of the Supreme Council of Ukraine, the Prime Minister of Ukraine, the Heads of the Orthodox Churches in Ukraine, the Primates of the Eastern Catholic Churches, the charity organizations and certain Catholic Bishops' Conferences.

29. Approve the text of Communique of the Synod of Bishops.

30. Approve the amended Statute of the Patriarchal Council of the UGCC.

31. Conduct VI Patriarchal Council on 25-27 August 2015 AD, and the Synod of Bishops in 2015 AD from 30 August to 6 September in Ivano-Frankivsk.

32. Set as the main theme of the Synod of Bishops in 2015 AD the question "Parish pastoral care and new challenges". Responsible for preparing the main theme is appointed the Reverend Bishop Ken (Novakivskyi) and a working group on the implementation of the Strategy 2020.

+ Sviatoslav (Shevchuk)

The Supreme Archbishop of the

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

 

+ Bogdan (Dziurakh)

The Secretary of the Synod of Bishops of the

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

 

 

Given in Kyiv

at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ

September 16, 2014 Year of God  AD