The Patriarchal Council – the sign of hope for the Ukrainian land, its people, country and this city”, - the Head of the UGCC during the plenary meeting

Wednesday, 26 August 2015, 15:30

The Patriarchal Council is an event in UGCC, occurring once in five years. It is an important fact in the life of our Church, because exactly this time we feel the unity of our Church in its completeness and diversity. I am noting that it is not only a bishop’s Council, notwithstanding bishops to be the most important participants of this act. The whole Church body is represented at the Council, as its participants are laity who give the voice of God’s people from a different continents and countries around the world.

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With these words His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Head and Father of UGCC appealed to the delegates of the VI session of the Patriarchal Council “The Vibrant Parish – a place to encounter a Living Christ”, opening a plenary meeting on 25^th of August in Ivano-Frankivsk.

Up to the words of the First Hierarch of UGCC, “The Vibrant Parish - a place to encounter a Living Christ” it is a course of Church development, proclaimed in 2011 after the preliminary meeting of UGCC Council in Brazil. “I am grateful to everybody who has ventured to come to Ukraine which remains in war conditions. Our Council is the sign of hope for the Ukrainian land, its people, country and this city”, continued the Head of the UGCC.

One of the special moments of this event, as says the Head of the Church, is a presence of Bishop Igor (Isichenko), the Archbishop of Kharkiv and Poltava UAOC with his priests. “Firstly, in a history of our Church we are welcoming the orthodox delegates at our Council. We hope your presence to become a call for unity of Christians in Ukraine, the inheritors of Volodymyr’s Baptism”, - emphasized he.

I want every faithful to ask today, if my parish is alive to become an active Church that helps people to comprehend a living Christ”, - raised his expectations His Beatitude Sviatoslav, regarding the work of the Council.

The speaker added, when the strategy of the UGCC development was being formed, no one knows what to expect in the future. “We couldn’t imagine a war to start in Ukraine. We had no idea to serve in war conditions and place to encounter a living Christ will be not only our parishes but Kyiv Maidan, as well. I dream to hear with you a living God Whom we want to meet, particularly in a context of this Council. For He is the Lord of history Who will help us today to adjust this our strategy”, - mentioned he.

From the point of view of His Beatitude Sviatoslav, it is important for Church to be able to respond to the challenges that occurred quickly and flexibly.

At the end, the Head of the Church called everybody for an examination of conscience to ponder how much our Church, eparchy and parish are alive: “I expect the participants of the Council to speak truth about a real Church life at our parishes in order to realize where we are in this strategy of Church development. Ask you to listen to each other and share your ideas and experience”.

As it was informed beforehand, on 25-27^th of August in Ivano-Frankivsk is being held the VI meeting of the UGCC Patriarchal Council on the topic “The Vibrant Parish - a place to encounter a Living Christ”. In the participation of the Council take part about 200 delegates from different eparchies of UGCC from Ukraine and world.

The UGCC Department of Information