ARCHIMANDRITE
VIKTOR HEADS UAPTs CARPATHIAN DIOCESE
Religiia
v
Ukraine, 8 June 2015
An appeal to the
bishops by Metropolitan Makary regarding the formation and
registration of
dioceses in the Carpathian province was considered at the
Bishops' Council of
UAPTs on 3 June 2015. The Carpathian diocese will be headed by a
former cleric
of UPTsMP, Archimandrite Viktor Bed, a correspondent of the
portal Religiia v
Ukraine reports.
The sobor
unanimously resolved to establish two dioceses in the Carpathian
province: the
Transcarpathian diocese (Bishop
of
Uzhgorod Zakarpatskii Kirill will administer the diocese) and
the Carpathian
diocese with the subsequent title of ruling bishop (the bishop
of Uzhgorod and
Carpathia), the website of the Lvov diocese of UAPTs reports.
The council also
considered an appeal for admission of Archimandrite Viktor into
the clergy of
UAPTs, at his own request. It was decided to appoint him the
administrator of
the new Carpathian diocese.
"Indeed, I
have officially left the staff of the Greek Orthodox Church. I
received a
dismissal letter and I have joined our UAPTs, so that in the
bosom of the
Ukrainian church I can, in the future, continue service to the
Lord God, to my
Ukrainian people, and to the establishment of the Ukrainian
Church in Ukraine.
But in the future I will remain an archimandrite. The time has
come when I must
now make this step," Archimandrite Viktor confirmed his transfer
into
UAPTs with this note on the Facebook social network.
We recall that
on 4 June the UAPTs elected as its head Metropolitan Makary, who
has chosen a
course to unification with UPTsKP. Against the background of
these events, the
UPTsMP proposed reviving dialogue with the UAPTs. (tr. by PDS,
posted 8 June
2015)
ARCHIMANDRITE
VIKTOR, RECTOR OF UZHGOROD THEOLOGICAL ACADEMY, PREVIOUSLY A
MEMBER OF UPTSMP,
BECOMES UAPTS BISHOP
The newly
created Carpathian diocese of the UAPTs will be headed by the
famous Ukrainian
church figure Archimandrite Viktor, rector of Uzhgorod Ukrainian
Theological
Academy, which was a part of the UPTsMP, and of the Avgustin
Voloshin
Transcarpathian University. Religiia v Ukraine reports that such
a decision was
made by the Bishops' Council of UAPTs on 3 June.
The council
resolved to create two dioceses in Transcarpathia province: the
Transcarpathian
diocese (Bishop Kirill, who has transferred out of the UPTsKP
will continue to
administer it) and the Carpathian diocese. Archimandrite Viktor
receives the
title "Bishop of Uzhgorod and Carpathia."
Last year, during
a conflict with the new primate of UPTsMP, Archimandrite Viktor
produced
documents proving his affiliation with the official Greek
archdiocese. "
"I have officially left the staff of the Greek Orthodox Church," he wrote on his Facebook page. "I received a dismissal letter and I have joined our UAPTs, so that in the bosom of the Ukrainian church I can, in the future, continue service to the Lord God, to my Ukrainian people, and to the establishment of the Ukrainian Church in Ukraine." (tr. by PDS, posted 8 June 2015)
UZHGOROD THEOLOGICAL ACADEMY
ABOLISHED
Former rector of academy,
Archimandrite Viktor, inhibited from ministry
Antimodernisma.ru, 23
December 2014
On 23 December in the Kiev caves
lavra, a session of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox
Church was held under the chairmanship of His Beatitude
Metropolitan of Kiev and all-Ukraine Onufrey.
The UPTs synod heard a report by
His Beatitude Metropolitan of Kiev and all-Ukraine Onufrey about
the state of affairs in the Sts. Cyril and Methodious Uzhgorod
Ukrainian Theological Academy.
On 23 April 2013 the Academic
Committee of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
conducted an inspection of the higher religious academic
institution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the "Sts. Cyril
and Methodius Uzhgorod Ukrainian Theological Academy." On the basis of the
results of the inspection a discrepency was discovered between
the curriculum and the requirements of the Conception of Higher
Ecclesiastical Education of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, as
well as a violation of the charter concerning administration of
the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
According to point 1.3 of the
first part of the charter of the Uzhgorod Ukrainian Theological
Academy [UUBA], the founder of the academy is the Kiev
metropolitanate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. According to point
1.5 of the first part of the charter, the UUBA conducts its
activity under the direction of His Beatitude the metropolitan
of Kiev and all-Ukraine.
By a decision of the Holy Synod
of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of 19 June 2014, Archimandrite
Viktor Bed was dismissed from the position of rector of the Sts.
Kirill and Methodius Uzhgorod Ukrainian Theological Academy and
assigned to the clergy of the Mukachevo diocese of the Ukrainian
Orthodox Church. Archbishop of Mukachevo and Uzhgorod Feodor was
appointed rector of UUBA.
According to a report of
Archibishop of Mukachevo and Uzhgorod Feodor of 15 August 2014,
Archimandrite Viktor ignored the decision of the Holy Synod
removing him from the position of rector of UUBA and appointing
him to the clergy of Mukachevo dicese. He reported that he is
not a cleric of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, since after his
monastic vow in the city of Saloniki (Greece), which was
performed on 20 March 2010, he belongs to the clergy of the
Greek Local Orthodox church. Archimandrite Viktor says the
dismissal letter regarding transfer into the clergy of the Greek
Orthodox Church was given to him in 2010 by His Beatitutde
Metropolitan of Kiev and all-Ukraine Vladimir. The indicated
dismissal letter does not exist in the archives of the
chancellery of the Kiev Metropolitanate of the Ukrainian
Orthodox Church.
On 23 June 2014 there appeared on
the official website of UUBS (uuba.org.ua) an article
"Archimandrite Viktor in the future will head the Sts Cyril and
Methodius Uzhgorod Ukrainian Theological Academy," in which the
report is confirmed that Archimandrite Viktor remained rector of
the academy and is a cleric of the Greek Orthodox Church.
Metropolitan of Thessalonika
Anthem, in his lettter of 29 August 2014, reported that
Archimandrite viktor is not a cleric of the Thessalonika
metropolitanate and did not show a dismissal letter from the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church in order to be admitted into the
clergy of the Thessalonika metropolitanate.
In connection with this, the
synod of the UPTs resolved: [. . .]
--To consider to be inadvisible
the recognition of the Sts. Cyril and Methodius Uzhgorod
Ukrainian Theological Academy as a higher ecclesiastical
academic institution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church [. . . .]
--In connection with failure to
fulfill the decision of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox
Chruch of 19 June 2014, deception of the hierarchy, and the
willful dissemination of deliberately false information and
violation of the oath of clerical ministry (on the basis of the
15th and 39th rule of the holy apostles, 10th rule of the fourth
ecumenical council, 17th rule of the Trullo council, and 5th
rule of the Antioch council), to prohibit from priestly ministry
the cleric of the Mukachevo diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox
Church Archimandrite Viktor Bed. (tr. by PDS, posted 8 June
2015)
Editorial disclaimer: RRN does
not intend to certify the accuracy of information
presented in articles. RRN simply intends to certify the
accuracy of the English translation of the contents of the
articles as they appeared in news media of countries of
the former USSR.
If material is quoted, please give credit to the
publication from which it came. It is not necessary to credit
this Web page. If material is transmitted electronically, please
include reference to the URL,
http://www.stetson.edu/~psteeves/relnews/.