On 29th May 2022, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church held its session at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow under the chairmanship of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.
MINUTES NO. 56
GAVE CONSIDERATION to the Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church held in Kiev.
Background information:
On 27th May 2022, the Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was convened in Kiev, adopting additions and amendments to the Statute on the Governance of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, as well as a number of other decisions in view of the ongoing hostilities in Ukraine, mounting pressure on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, continued seizures of its churches, and numerous facts of discrimination against its believers and violations of their rights.
RESOLVED:
1. To express full support and understanding to the archpastors, pastors, monastics and laypeople of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, subjected to unprecedented pressure from representatives of the schismatic bodies, local authorities, mass media, extremist organizations and nationalist-minded part of the public.
2. To call upon the plenitude of the Russian Orthodox Church to ardently pray that God strengthen our brothers and sisters in Ukraine and grant unto them wisdom and help in heroically bearing their day-to-day Christian witness.
3. To state that the status of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is determined by the Charter given by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia on 27th October 1990.
4. To note that the additions and amendments to the Statute on the Governance of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church adopted by the Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church need to be examined under the established procedure in terms of their compliance with the aforementioned Charter and the Statute of the Russian Orthodox Church, according to which such additions and amendments are to be submitted for approval to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
5. To emphasize that Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, deeply empathizing with all those affected by this tribulation, repeatedly called upon all those involved to do everything in their power to avoid casualties among the civilian population and exhorted all members of the Russian Orthodox Church to fervently pray for the soonest re-establishment of peace and to render all-round aid to all the victims, including refugees and those who lost their homes and livelihood.
6. To express regret at the fact that the commemoration of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia has ceased in a number of dioceses of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which has already resulted in divisions within the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and runs counter to Canon 15 of the First-Second Council.
7. To bear witness that the Russian Orthodox Church in its plenitude is praying for the preservation of church unity and the soonest end to the bloodshed.
