Overview of the 51st session of the Synod of Bishops of Kyiv-Halych Major Archbishopric of the UGCC

The 51^st session of the Synod of Bishops of Kyiv-Halych Major Archbishopric of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church took place in Chertkiv, Ternopil region, on July 13-14, 2010. Before the synod, the bishops celebrated the ten-year anniversary of the creation of the Buchach Eparchy of the UGCC. All Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishops who work on the territory of Ukraine were present at the synod. After the introductory formalities and review of the implementation of decisions of the last Session of the Metropolitan Synod, His Beatitude Lubomyr informed the members of the synod about the last session of Permanent Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, which took place on June 26-29 in Lutsk and about the meeting of the Secretaries of the European Episcopal Conferences, in which took part Bishop Bohdan (Dzyurakh), secretary of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC. He also told the members of the Metropolitan Synod about the Symposium on Counteracting Abortions, which will be held as part of the Congress of Bioethics on September 20-22, 2010. Among the main themes of this session of the synod, the Statute of the Commission for Providing Staff for the Kyiv-Halych Major Archbishopric of the UGCC and Regulation of the Synod of Bishops of the Kyiv-Halych Major Archbishopric of the UGCC were discussed and ratified. The Conception for Developing Pilgrimage and Religious Tourism in the UGCC to 2015 and the project of Instruction on Office Work in the Kyiv-Halych Major Archbishopric of the UGCC were also accepted. The synod also considered questions on improving pastoral ministry in the prisons of Ukraine and realizing the project of creating a national church newspaper of the UGCC. Considerable attention by synod’s members was given to the current social and political situation in Ukraine and the role and task of the church in forming the civil society. In addition to these questions, the question about a seminary for people with late vocations and suggestions on pastoral chaplaincy during the Championship on football of Euro 2012 were considered. Also, the synod heard the reports on the state of the construction of the Patriarchal Cathedral of Resurrection of Christ in Kyiv and about the activity of the Commission on the Restitution of Church Property.  The 52^nd session of the Synod of Bishops of the Kyiv-Halych Major Archbishopric of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is to be conducted in November 2010.

Secretariat of the Synod of Bishop
Kyiv-Halych Major Archbishopric of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church