Address of the Holy Synod of the UOC to all faithful children of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on the occasion of the visit of the Primates and representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches to Ukraine

Address of the Holy Synod of the UOC to all faithful children of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on the occasion of the visit of the Primates and representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches to Ukraine  


In a few days festive events on the occasion of the great anniversary of 1020 years of the Baptism of Rus will begin. Primates of several Local Orthodox Churches are expected to arrive.  The festivities will be presided over by His All Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople and His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia. 

It was the initiative of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to suggest celebrating the 1020^th anniversary of the Baptism of Kyivan Rus, and it found support of the Ukrainian government.   Therefore today apart from an exclusively church program of festivities there is a program of the state festive activities, which are to take place not only in Kyiv but all over Ukraine. Other religious communities also plan to hold celebrations of this anniversary according to their own programs. The Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches will come to Ukraine on double invitation - by the Church and by the state, therefore they will take part both in exclusively church festivities and in the state celebrations.  But the high church guests agreed to take part in the state celebrations on condition of absence of the leaders of the schismatic groupings. 

Lately lots of materials dedicated to the anniversary celebrations have been released on TV, radio, in the newspapers, chronicles, and on the Internet. Unfortunately, very often the mass-media mentioned have presented inaccurate and unreliable information.  All that caused anxiety among the clergy and the faithful of our Church.  

The Holy Synod thinks it necessary to emphasize that the church solemnities are of the prior importance for the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, since in the first place they include celebration of the festive divine services, liturgical processions etc.  We call you to join the conciliar prayer of our Church on these holidays. 

We also stress that the program of the festive All-Church events is published by the official periodicals and electronic media of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Notifications from any other sources may contain unreliable information. It is also important to keep in mind that our Church does not take part in all of the events organized by the local or state authorities. 

We call you to be watchful and not to let deceive you or provoke to the actions that may discredit the holy name of the Orthodox Church. We call you to remain in obedience to the hierarchs and to group around the hierarchy of our Church.  We call you to fulfill the orders of the primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv and All Ukraine, of the Holy Synod and of the ruling bishops. 

Celebration of the great anniversary of 1020 years of the Baptism of Kyivan Rus should become an evidence of the spiritual power of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, of her entering ‘unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ'  (Ephesians 4: 13). Since it is the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is a heir of the Baptism of St. Vladimir,   a guard of the centuries-long spiritual tradition that unites the Eastern Slavic nations with the Orthodox East.  We hope that this anniversary will become a feast of unity in our Saviour Jesus Christ, for unto Him are due all glory, honor and worship,  both now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

July 23, 2008