RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS


Ukrainian church disputes report of defection of monastery in western Ukraine

UPTsMP THINKS THAT ONLY A CHAPEL TRANSFERRED INTO UAPTs, NOT A MONASTERY

Religiia v Ukraine, 25 August 2015

 

In connection with a report about the transfer of a Transcarpathian monastery of the UPTs into the jurisdiction of the UAPTs, the official website of the UPTsMP published on 21 August a rebuttal "of yet another deception from Archimandrite Viktor Bed." In a response article, the Carpathian diocese of the UAPTs presented a photocopy of documents according to which the indicated monastery was a member of the Mukachevo diocese of the UPTsMP before its transfer into the UAPTs, a correspondent of the portal Religiia v Ukraine reports.

 

The UPTs website quotes the ruling archbishop of the UPTs Mukachevo and Uzhgorod diocese, Feodor: "No Saint Nicholas monastery in the village of Chinadievo ever existed. The Archimandrite Nikolai mentioned in the report is a cleric of the Mukachevo diocese who after returning in repentance from the so-called UPTsKP several years ago was placed on leave due to illness which made it impossible for him to fulfill his pastoral duties. Archimandrite Nikolai himself lived in a private house in the village of Chinadievo, in whose yard he built a chapel. This chapel never was considered to be a monastery structure.

 

At the same time, Vladyka Feodor said that in the village of Chinadievo of the Mukachevo district of Transcarpathia province there is a men's monastery in honor of the Pochaev icon of the Mother of God, which maintains its fidelity to the UPTsMP.

 

In connection with the discussion that arose around the transfer of the St. Nicholas diocesan men's monastery in the village of Chinadievo, led by the abbot Archimandrite Nikolai, from the jurisdiction of the Mukachevo diocese of the UPTsMP into the Carpathian diocese of the UAPTs and with the rebuttal on the website of the UPTsMP, the press service of the Carpathian diocese of the UAPTs issued a commentary. It published the originals of documents that give evidence that the St. Nicholas monastery belonged to the Mukachevo diocese of the UPTsMP before its transfer into the UAPTs.

 

Thus, on 4 March 2011, by order No. 57, issued by Vladyka Feodor, Archimandrite Nikolai was appointed abbot of a new diocesan men's monastery in honor of the Holy Prelate Nicholas the Miracleworker in the village of Chinadievo on Sanatornaia St, 89a, of the Mukachevo district of the Transcarpathian province. For performing the liturgy, Vladyka Feodor gave to Archimandrite Nikolai an antimensium about which he issued an order, signed and certified by personal seal. In addition, at the moment of his official transfer into the clergy of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and the transfer of the diocesan men's monastery in honor of the Holy Prelate Nicholas the Miracleworker in the village of Chinadievo, Archimandrite Nikolai was not under a ban from ministry and he did not go on leave from the Mukachevo diocese of the UPTs, the Carpathian diocese of the UAPTs reports.

 

Moreover, according to public information posted on the official website of the Mukachevo diocese of the UPTsMP, at present the monastery in honor of the Pochaev icon of the Mother of God in the village of Chinadievo, to which Archbishop Feodor referred, is not registered in the list of monasteries of this diocese.

 

Accordingly, the bishop of the Carpathian diocese of the UAPTs, Viktor Bed, views the information posted on 21 August on the official website of the UPTs "to be false."

 

Proceeding from the reports of the UPTsMP and the UAPTs, one can draw the conclusion that Archbishop Feodor issued an ambiguous written blessing and thereby created a disputed situation which the Carpathian diocese of the UAPTs has exploited. In Vladyka Feodor's order, the Saint Nicholas cloister has the status of a "diocesan monastery." There is no such concept in the charter of the UPTs and the monastery was not confirmed by the synod of the UPTs, although it operated with the blessing of the diocesan bishop.

 

The situation of the Transcarpathian monastery recalls the incident involving the Iveria skete of the Donetsk diocese of the UPTsMP. Thus, on 18 December 2014 the ruling bishop of the Donetsk diocese of the UPTsMP, Metropolitan Ilarion, issued a statement about the robbery of the skete of the Holy Iverian monastery in Peski by Ukrainian soldiers (the robbery was later denied by the press service of the Ukrainian National Guard). However in an appeal to the Ukrainian president regarding the incident, the synod of the UPTs clarified that it was not talking about a monastery skete but about a rural residence of the metropolitan which, only after the known incident and from Metropolitan Ilarion's filing, the synod hastily recognized as a skete on 23 December.

 

These incidents indicate that in the UPTs there is a practice of the actual existence of monasteries, archbishops' residences (dachas), real estate, and the like in the absence of their confirmation at the level of synodal decisions. The synod and general public will learn about the existence of such property only after sensational situations. (tr. by PDS, posted 25 August 2015)

Background article: Defection of Moscow monastery in western Ukraine
August 21, 2015


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