Studite monk appointed as new bishop coadjutor in Lviv Archdiocese

The Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church appointed the hieromonk Benedict (Valeriy Aleksiychuk) from Dormition Univ Monastery as bishop coadjutor of the Lviv Eparchy. Pope Benedict XVI affirmed the choice and the hirotony (ordination) will be held on September 5. The future bishop receives the Titular See of Germaniciana.

The newly appointed bishop was born in 1968 in the Rivne region. He finished medical school and worked in an ambulance team. In 1990 he entered the seminary in Drogobych (Western Ukraine). After ordination, he entered the Studite monastery. Fr. Benedict served as a priest in Belarus, later in Canada, and in 1999 was elected as hegumen at Univ Monastery (re-elected twice). Fr. Benedict has a doctorate in theology and is engaged in different ministries in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

As RISU reported previously, Fr. Benedict was recently replaced as hegumen of Univ Monastery by Fr. Theodore (Martyniuk).