Today, on October 17, Vatican officials announced that the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, with the consent of the Synod, accepted the resignations of three bishops who have reached the age of 75.
This was reported by the Information Department of the UGCC with reference to the press service of the Holy See.
New ruling bishops were appointed. These decisions were blessed by His Holiness Pope Francis.
Metropolitan Vasyl Semeniuk of Ternopil-Zboriv is succeeded by Auxiliary Bishop Teodor Martyniuk of the Ternopil-Zboriv Archeparchy.
Bishop Mykhailo Koltun of Sokal-Zhovkva is succeeded by Auxiliary Bishop Petro Loza of the Sokal-Zhovkva Eparchy.
Exarch of Donetsk Stepan Menkois succeeded by Auxiliary Bishop of the Donetsk Exarchate Maksym Ryabukha.
According to can. 210 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, a diocesan bishop who has reached the age of 75 or is unable to fulfill his duties due to health reasons shall submit their resignation. Diocesan bishops who serve within the Patriarchal Church submit their resignation to the Patriarch. The consent of the Permanent Synod is required unless previously requested by the Synod of Bishops.
Biographical information
Bishop Teodor Martyniuk was born on February 1, 1974, in the village of Dora, Nadvirna district, Ivano-Frankivsk region. In 1993, he entered the Holy Dormition Univ Lavra of the Studite Order, where he took his monastic vows in 1997. He received theological education at the Catholic University of Lublin. He studied canon law in Rome: Eastern canon law at the Pontifical Oriental Institute, and jurisprudence at the Pontifical Gregorian University. He also studied French in Paris.
He was ordained to the priesthood on January 20, 2000, by Bishop Julian Gbur, Eparch of Stryi. From 2010-2015, he was the hegumen of the Holy Dormition Univ Lavra, taught Eastern canon law at the Pontifical Oriental Institute and served as deputy chairman of the Council of Superiors of the UGCC men's institutes of consecrated life.
On March 12, 2015, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Ternopil-Zboriv Archeparchy and Titular Bishop of Mopta. His episcopal ordination took place on May 22, 2015, in Zarvanytsia. He was consecrated by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the UGCC, Archbishop and Metropolitan of Ternopil-Zboriv Vasyl Semeniuk and Auxiliary Bishop of the Lviv Archeparchy Venedykt Aleksiychuk.
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Bishop Petro Loza was born on June 3, 1979, in the village of Kolodentsi, Kamianka-Buzka district, Lviv region. In 1997, he entered the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists), where he took perpetual vows in 2003. He received theological education at the University of Innsbruck in Austria.
He was ordained to the priesthood on August 26, 2007, by Archbishop and Metropolitan Ihor Vozniak in Lviv. As a priest, he served in Vinnytsia, Hnizdychiv-Kokhavyno, Lviv, and Chernihiv.
On April 12, 2018, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Sokal-Zhovkva and Titular Bishop of Panium. His episcopal ordination took place on July 12, 2018, at the Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Sokal. He was consecrated by the Father and Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Metropolitan Ihor Vozniak of Lviv and Eparch Mykhailo Koltun of Sokal-Zhovkva.
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Bishop Maksym Ryabukha was born on May 18, 1980, in Lviv. In 1999, he entered the Salesian Order, where he took perpetual vows in 2005. He studied philosophy and theology at the Pontifical Salesian University in Italy. In addition, he received higher education at the Interregional Academy of Personnel Management (Specialist in Law), Lviv Polytechnic National University (Master of Education Management), and Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian University (Master of Social Pedagogy).
He was ordained to the priesthood on August 4, 2007, by Bishop Andrii Sapeliak in Lviv. He served as a priest in Lviv, Vynnyky, Odesa, Dnipro, and Kyiv. In 2016-2018, he worked at the Apostolic Nunciature in Ukraine as a translator of the nuncio.
On September 19, 2022, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Donetsk Exarchate and Titular Bishop of Stephaniacum. His episcopal ordination took place on December 22, 2022, at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Kyiv. He was consecrated by the Father and Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Exarch of Donetsk Stepan Meniok and Auxiliary Bishop of the Kyiv Archeparchy Yosyf Milian.