The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox priests to elect Bishop of Ternopil

On June 8, a regular meeting of the Council of Bishops of the UAOC and the Patriarchal Council was held at the Church of Nativity at the UAOC Patriarchy in Kyiv. The meeting in particular discussed the appointment of the ruling bishop of the Diocese of Ternopil of the UAOC.

According to the minutes of the meeting, a candidate for the ruling bishop of the Diocese of Ternopil will be determined at the diocesan clergy meeting to be held in Ternopil. In particular, according to the official website of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, the priests will elect at the assembly a candidate out of two persons nominated by the Council of Bishops, or propose a candidate from among the clergy of Ternopil Diocese.

As reported, after removal of Archbishop Mstislav (Huk) through his misconduct, the Diocese of Ternopil of the UAOC was led by Metropolitan Andriy (Abramchuk) of Ivano-Frankivsk, then the diocese was led by Bishop Victor (Bed) of Mukachevo and Carpathian.

According to RISU, on May 4, 2017, the Council of Bishops of the UAOC dismissed Bishop Victor (Bed) from the office of the ruling bishop of Ternopil diocese. The Primate of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church explained this decision, “Bishop Victor (Bed) interfered in the affairs of the entire Church, for which he is punished. But if he repents and writes a statement to no longer do so ... then obviously the punishment will be withdrawn, but he will not be returned to Ternopil.”