Metropolitan Nikodim: The UOC Council was held in prayerful unity

Metropolitan Nikodim. Photo: Press Service of the Zhytomyr Eparchy

Metropolitan Nikodim of Zhytomyr and Novohrad-Volynsky issued a statement concerning the Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which took place on May 27, 2022, in Feofania.

According to the hierarch, this Council entered the Church’s history as one of the most significant, timely, and weighty assemblies in terms of its resolutions.

“The Council’s well-considered decisions above all expressed the conciliar unity of the hierarchs, clergy, and laity in a spirit of love and prudence, and they also provided a timely response to the questions and challenges facing the Church,” Metropolitan Nikodim noted.

The bishop emphasized that even several years after the Council, its decisions continue to prove their relevance and importance. He particularly stressed that the Council took place in prayerful unity, with measured statements from participants and a healthy conciliar spirit. According to him, there was no external or internal pressure on those attending the Council.

“The convocation and outcome of the Council in Feofania did not violate any canonical norms or rules – neither of the worldwide Orthodox Church nor of the UOC itself,” Metropolitan Nikodim emphasized.

The hierarch also noted that the conciliar assembly demonstrated the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s ability to make important decisions independently, while preserving unity, conciliarity, and fidelity to canonical order.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Khmelnytskyi hierarch refuted claims of external pressure on the Council, stressing that all decisions were made freely.

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