ROC Synod: Crimean eparchies of UOC received directly into Russian Church

On 7 June 2022, a regular meeting of the ROC's Holy Synod chaired by Patriarch Kirill took place in Moscow to consider the status of the eparchies located in the Crimea, reports patriarchia.ru.

According to the Synodal resolutions, Their Eminences Metropolitan Platon of Theodosia and Kerch and Metropolitan Lazar of Simferopol and Crimea, and His Grace Bishop Alexei of Dzhankoy appealed to the Patriarch and the Synod “with a request to transfer the eparchies entrusted to them to the direct jurisdiction of His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.”

The Russian Synodal report notes that the UOC Council gave eparchial hierarchs the right to independently make decisions for their eparchies that would normally fall within the competence of the UOC Holy Synod and Primate.

Thus, the Russian Synod resolved today, in response to the appeals from the Crimean hierarchs, “proceeding from the need to maintain an active canonical and administrative connection with the central Church authority for the prosperous course of Church life in the eparchies under the care of the said hierarchs,” and, “considering the practical impossibility of regular communication of these eparchies with the Kiev Metropolis,” to accept the Crimean eparchies “into direct canonical and administrative subordination to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church”.

The Synod also resolved to create a new Crimean Metropolis, headed by Met. Lazar of Simferopol, comprising Dzhankoy, Simferopol and Feodosiya eparchies.

As earlier reported, the Council of the UOC, which was held in Feofaniya on May 27, 2022, declared full independence of the UOC.

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