The XXXI Diocesan Council of the Diocese of Kharkiv-Poltava of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, which took place on March 18, decided to terminate the activity of the diocese as an independent religious association and cancel registration of the Charter.
The XXXI Diocesan Council of the Diocese of Kharkiv-Poltava of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, which took place on March 18, decided to terminate the activity of the diocese as an independent religious association and cancel registration of the Charter.
The participants of the Council also approved the procedure for liquidating the Consistory. This is reported by the website of the diocese.
Given the quarantine, the meeting was held in the form of a video conference. The resolutions were adopted by an absolute majority (in some cases, one delegate was against or abstained).
According to the website, Archbishop Igor addressed the participants with a statement that he was relieved from his duties as diocesan bishop. The Council decided to retain these powers for bishop Igor until the end of the liquidation of the diocese and the termination of the Consistory.
The decision of the General Meeting of the Board of Patriarch Mstislav and St. Demetrius Catechetical and Pastoral Center, which took place on March 15, 2020, on their joining the Kharkiv Exarchate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, was approved. The Council also approved the decision of the Consistory to transfer the rights of the founder of the Library of St Benedict of Nursia, Kharkiv Exarchate of the UGCC. The Kharkiv regional brotherhood of St. Andrew the First-Called and the parish communities that were part of the Diocese of Kharkiv-Poltava of the UAOC (o) were recommended to make changes to the statutory documents in connection with the change of jurisdiction.
The Diocese of Kharkiv-Poltava of the UAOC was established on July 27, 1942 and revived in 1992. Due to the split in the UAOC, it was forced to register its own Charter with the Appendix "updated"in 2006. Since 1993, the diocese has been headed by Bishop Igor (Isichenko).
As already RISU reported, Archbishop Igor (Isichenko) in 2015 announced the restoration of Eucharistic and administrative unity between the diocese of the UAOC and the UGCC headed by him.
"We have made an appeal to the bishops of the UGCC, requesting their brotherly advice on the restoration of Eucharistic and administrative unity between our Churches. And I am eternally grateful that our appeal, despite its complete surprise for the UGCC, was accepted with favor, understanding and respect for our position. In September 2015, the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC created a commission to prepare a response to this appeal. Now the work of the mentioned Commission continues," Archbishop Igor said at the time.