10th Anniversary of the All-Ukrainian Orthodox Unification Council

October 4, 2002, Kyiv.

On video: scientific and practical conference dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the All-Ukrainian Orthodox Unification Council of June 25–26, 1992; speech by Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate Filaret, who speaks about the importance of unifying the Orthodox and the need to affirm the faith; speech by Leonid Kravchuk on the right to faith; clergymen participate in the discussion, ask questions; repeated speech by Filaret, dedicated to the topic of creating a single autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine, as well as opposition from the Moscow Patriarchate against the background of the support of the Constantinople Patriarchate for the unification process.

Comments: Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate Filaret; first President of Ukraine, People's Deputy Leonid Kravchuk.

Reference: The All-Ukrainian Orthodox Unification Council was held in Kyiv on June 25–26, 1992, with the participation of part of the episcopate of the UOC (MP) headed by Metropolitan Filaret and part of the UAOC. The Council proclaimed the formation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, designated Mstislav as Patriarch and Metropolitan Filaret as his deputy. The event consolidated the course for the institutional independence of Ukrainian Orthodoxy and caused a long-term canonical conflict between the jurisdictions involved. The Moscow Patriarchate sharply opposed the decisions of the Council, considering them uncanonical and politically motivated, while the Patriarchate of Constantinople generally supported the aspirations of Ukrainian Orthodoxy for autocephaly.