Australia and New Zealand Diocese of UAOC Surprised About Metropolitan Dymytrii's Statement

On Wednesday RISU received a message from Fr. Michael Smolynec, a member of the Consistory of Australia and New Zealand Diocese of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) in Diaspora, which is a response to the statement Metropolitan Dymytrii (Rudiuk) of Lviv and Sokal of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarcahte (UOC-KP) made after his visit to Australia.

On Wednesday RISU received a message from Fr. Michael Smolynec, a member of the Consistory of Australia and New Zealand Diocese of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) in Diaspora, which is a response to the statement Metropolitan Dymytrii (Rudiuk) of Lviv and Sokal of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarcahte (UOC-KP) made after his visit to Australia.

“The claim that 'three of the seven Orthodox parishes in Australia declared their intention to transfer to the jurisdiction of the UOC-KP' is incorrect,” writes Fr. Michael Smolynec.

And he explains: “There literally would be in excess of 100 Orthodox parishes of various jurisdictions in Australia. The Diocese of Australia and New Zealand of the Ukrainian Autocephalic Orthodox Church is made up of eleven (11) active parishes and one (1) mission serving the needs of Orthodox Ukrainians under our ruling Archbishop Ioan (Derewianka), who resides in Genk, Belgium. We are a Diocese of the Ukrainian Autocephalic Orthodox Church in the Diaspora; our First Hierarch Metropolitan Constantine of (Irinoupolis) is the Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (Ecumenical Patriarchate). The information presented in the aforementioned article is of concern to us as it does not accurately account for or represent the Church in Australia; if anything it is misleading and false. One wonders where and how the Metropolitan came to the conclusion that there are seven (7) Orthodox parishes, and one must ask why these parishes were not referred to as Ukrainian?”

As has became known to RISU, the Supreme Court of South Australia from 2002 to 2004 considered the case of St. Michael's Cathedral in Adelaide. The lawsuit was filed by the consistory of the UAOC Australia. The Supreme Court of South Australia decided that the parishioners of St. Michael's Cathedral "have the right to pray under the aegis of the Kyiv Patriarchate. To support this decision the Supreme Court of South Australia in March 2004 granted the community of St. Michael's Cathedral in Adelaide Change status as a parish."