Over 20 rapporteurs of UOC and other Churches speak at forum on catholicity

The conference is chaired by the Primate of the UOC. Photo: kdais.kiev.ua

21 speakers from the UOC and other Churches took part in the International Conference "Catholicity of the Church: Theological, Canonical and Historical Dimensions", which took place on November 11, 2021, at the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, reports the press service of the KDAiS.

The conference was chaired by the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine, who emphasized the need for a conciliar discussion of the grave crisis that brought world Orthodoxy to the brink of schism.

The forum was attended by representatives of seven local Orthodox Churches from nine countries: the Churches of Antioch, Russia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Poland, the Czech Lands and Slovakia and the Orthodox Church of America. Also, the event was attended by representatives of eight religious educational institutions from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus and speakers from 4 foreign higher educational institutions.

In the plenary part, the following reports were made:

• “Catholicity of the Church in the Face of Challenges of our Time” – Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary, UOC Chancellor;
• “Theological and Liturgical Dimension of Catholicity of the Church” – Archbishop George of Wroclaw and Szczecin, Polish Orthodox Church;
• "The Question of the Recognition of Ordinations Made in Schismatic Communities. Theological, Canonical and Historical Aspects" – Rector of the KDAiS, Bishop Sylvester of Bilohorodka.

In the second part of the conference, 19 speakers took part, of which 11 – remotely, using the ZOOM platform.

The following reports were delivered:

• “Catholicity as a Theological and Canonical Category” – Metropolitan Gabriel of Lovech, Bulgarian Orthodox Church;
• "Anthropological Foundations of Catholicity of the Church" – Metropolitan Luke of Zaporizhzhia and Melitopol;
• “Primacy and Synodality in Practice: Fundamental Level. A brief case study of the parish and diocesan levels in accordance with the current statute of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia” –Archbishop George (Juraj) of Michalovce and Kosice, OCCLS;
• “Catholicity and Primacy: Principles of Interaction and Challenges of Unification in Contemporary Orthodox Theology” – Bishop Viktor of Baryshevka;
• "The Union of Perfection: Action in Love in a Sacred Assembly" – Archimandrite Romanos Alhanat, Orthodox Church of Antioch;
• “Criticism of the Extraterritorial Appeal to the Patriarch of Constantinople by St. Dositheus of Jerusalem" – Abbot Dionisy (Shlenov), associate professor of the Moscow Theological Academy;
• “The Source and Conditions for the Unity of the Church” – Archimandrite Anastasy (Bednikov), vice-rector for educational work of the Odessa Theological Seminary;
• “Negative Reception of Canon 28 of the Council of Chalcedon by the Roman Church in the 5th century” – Andrey Danilov, Head of the Department for Religious Studies at the Institute of Theology of the Belarusian State University and lecturer at the Minsk Theological Academy;
• "Rule 28 of the 4th Ecumenical Council: Theological and Canonical Aspects" –  Archpriest Georgy Galushko, teacher of the Chernihiv Theological School;
• “Church-Canonical Polemics on the Right of the Higher Court of Appeal in the Case of Patriarch Nikon of Moscow” – priest Sergei Pinchuk, graduate student of the Minsk Theological Academy;
• “Two Ecclesiological Models: a Look at the Catholicity of the Church” – priest Mikhail Legeev, associate professor of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy;
• “The World of Autocephalous Churches: Unity Based on Mutual Respect” – Andrey Tsarenok, associate professor of the Department of Philosophy and Cultural Studies of the National University “Chernihiv Collegium” named after T.G. Shevchenko and teacher of the Chernihiv Theological School;
• "’Church-Mother’ and ‘Kiriarchal Church’: Content and Differentiation of Concepts" – hieromonk Mitrofan (Bozhko);
• “Catholic alienation: the Secession of the Ancient Eastern Churches as an Unsuccessful Manifestation of the Power of the Ecumenical Church of Constantinople” – Archpriest Andrei Ukhtomsky, associate professor of the KDA.
• “Rights of the Patriarch of Constantinople: Canons and Reality” – Yuri Petroliuk, teacher at the Poltava Missionary Theological Seminary;
• “Activities of Schismatic Organizations in the Canonical Territory of the Serbian Orthodox Church after the Creation of the ‘Orthodox Church of Ukraine’” – KDA post-graduate student Nikolai Sapsay;
• “Theological and Canonical Analysis of the Speeches of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople in Kyiv (August 21 and 22, 2021)” – Andrey Stratiuk, teacher of the Pochaiv Theological Seminary.

As reported, the International Forum was organized by the Kyiv Theological Academy, pursuant to the decision of the Holy Synod of the UOC on May 12, 2021.

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