Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church meets for an extended session

The Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church met for an extended session on 24 November 2009 at the assembly hall of the Kiev Monastery of the Caves. It was chaired by His Beatitude Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine. Opening the session, Metropolitan Vladimir said that a good tradition developed in recent years to hold at the end of each year a special Synodal session open to the public so that annual reports of the Synodal departments and commissions may be heard and evaluated.

Summary reports were heard from the Church's chancellery, court, department for cooperation with the armed forces and other military units in Ukraine, commission for monasteries, canonization commission, mission department, education committee, theological commission, youth department, department for religious education and catechism, department for family, mission for social aid to children, department for architecture and construction, information department, Church and Culture department, Church and Medicine department, publications department, department for social service and charity, liturgical commission, external relations department, department for pastoral care in penitentiaries and legal department.

The Synod established a department for pastoral care of the Cossacks in Ukraine and spiritual and physical formation of the youth and a society of church history.

The Synod also approved the appointment of Archbishop Augustine of Lvov and Galicia as authorized representative of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to the Supreme Rada.

The chancellor of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Archbishop Mitrofan, presented the statistical information for 2009.

The Synod also authorized the local veneration of Sister Anastasia (Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna Romanova) who is to be commemorated on November 2, the day when her relics were found.

The Synod adopted an Appeal to the Faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church urging for an earnest prayer for the unity of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine

Source: www.mospat.ru