After receiving Tomos about autocephaly, enemies of the independence of the Ukrainian Church questioned the canonicality of its hierarchs. Enemies say they have no canonical inheritance from the canonical Orthodox Churches, because the bishops received ordinations “not the way as it should” or “by unproper hierarchs.” The Spiritual Front of Ukraine decided, with the help of Bishop of Rivne and Sarny Havriil, to understand the situation on the example of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, whose hierarchs joined the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
Let’s start with a bit of history. The UAOC had three formations:
- from 1919 until its destruction by the “Soviets”;
- formation during the Second World War – the revival of the UAOC;
- at the beginning of Ukraine’s independence in the late 1980s.
“In 1942, when Germany invaded Ukraine, the Reich Commissariat Ukraine was established with a center in Rivne. At that time the UAOC was revived at the request of the local clergy. I specifically used the term revival – not created but revived canonically. With the permission of the German authorities in Ukraine that times, the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church began ordaining bishops for the UAOC. The first canonical bishops for the UAOC were ordinated”, Bishop Havriil says. And points to the scheme posted on the website of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Why is it important to us? We see the donation of autocephaly to the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church in 1924. And then there is the blue line – 1942 – it goes the UAOC.
“Without the second formation, we will not understand the third formation. During the Second Formation, the UAOC received more than ten bishops. All were ordained canonically. Among them was Mstyslav (Skrypnyk). It was 1942 – the time of his ordination. He was ordained in the stilobate of the Kiev Andrievsky Temple, which exists today”, the bishop notes.
And then comes 1944 – Soviet army comes. The UAOC understands that they will not have a life. And they had to leave their homeland: who to France, who to Canada, who to America, who to Australia.
“And 1989 comes – the revival of the UAOC. But the revival happened, as we know, in a little bit uncanonical way. And when Mstyslav is elected [Patriarch – Ed.] by the UAOC, he decides to rectify the situation at the UAOC, that is why he arrives in 1991 [from the USA to Ukraine – Ed.]”, Bishop Havriil reminds.
1991. Mstyslav comes to Ukraine with Bishop Anthony (Shcherba). (Bishop Anthony is now Metropolitan, first hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the United States). And they ordain three bishops. Of these we are interested in Polycarp (Pakholyuk).
“Then he [Polycarp – ed.] participates in the ordination of Michael (Dudkevich). He carried the canonical line from the Polish Church. Dudkevich participated in the ordination of Feoktista (Peresada). Mikhail and Feoktist participate in the ordination of Igor (Isichenko), who now lives in Kharkov. And we can see how the canonical line goes to Makariy (Maletych) as well”, Bishop Havriil says.
And this is very important: in the ordination of Makariy (Maletych) there is an apostolic continuity, there is a canonical line. And this canonical line goes from Mstyslav through Polycarp, Igor (Isichenko) and so on to Makariy (Maletych). He has a canonical line from the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church.
“This is the very essence. That he is not “self-ordinated” as some say. And so Bishop Macariy has no problems with apostolic heredity”, Bishop Havriil says.
