Sobor is the time dedicated to God, His Beatitude Sviatoslav at the opening of the 5th session of the Sobor of the Kyiv Archeparchy

Sunday, 09 February 2020, 22:15

In his opening remarks, the Head of the UGCC said that there were many such Sobors in the history of the Church. Their delegates often made the same mistakes. Therefore, His Beatitude noted that he wanted to warn the participants of the 5th session against these mistakes.

See also:

"I ask you to be worthy ambassadors of your homeland", the Head of the UGCC to those who were forced to leave Ukraine
The head of the UGCC expresses his condolences over the repose of Bishop Emeritus Robert Moskal
Today Russia is again committing a sin of Svyatopolk the Accursed, - The Head of the UGCC on the day of commemoration of Saints Borys and Hlib

Hence the audience heard a question from the Head of the UGCC: "What does it mean to be a delegate to the Sobor?"

The Primate stated, “You, the Church, are present here and represent your communities. Each delegate is not a personal voice but the voice of his or her parish, monastery, or the community that empowered you. Here you speak not on your own behalf, but you are the voice of your community. The Sobor is not the time when we complain about our problems. The Sobor is not the time to express all your questions to the bishop or church government that has accumulated over time in communities. Here everyone tries to take care of the development of the whole Archeparchy, which comprises five regions of Central Ukraine. Have the courage to see what your eparchy should look like in 10 years. Draw a perspective on the development of this future,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.

His Beatitude Sviatoslav stressed that the topic of this Council is preparing for the Patriarchal Sobor, which will be held in late August in Lviv. The Head of the Church noted that without the eparchial sobors it is not possible to hold the Sobor of the Patriarchal level: "Your thoughts and dreams about the Church and its future must be transferred to the church-wide level," emphasized the Head of the Church.

He then spoke about the suggested topics that the whole Church is thinking of all over the world: where are we? what are we like? how can we be together?

"How to overcome self-isolation and separation? Our people are present in every city and town: how to find a way to meet, an algorithm to be together? How to be in the parish together? How to build the global unity of our Church in the world? Assimilation is the scourge of all religions and all Churches. Secularism is very much connected with the fact that people today do not know how to come together for the sake of certain ideals and values," emphasized the UGCC Head.

According to him, the answer to these questions should be sought in this way: to think globally, but to act locally. Answers should be given based on local experience, on the basis of parish pastoral guidance: “Our needs are always greater than our means and resources. When we set priorities correctly, directing even a small amount of our resources to the most important, then we will be able to create something. Strategic thinking should be present in the resolutions you make today at the conclusion of this Sobor. These resolutions will influence the pastoral plan of the Kyiv Archeparchy for the next 10 years,” said the Supreme Archbishop.

In conclusion, the Head of the Church wished everyone the blessing of God so that the members of the Sobor could really fulfill the tasks that were set before them.

The UGCC Department for Information