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Autonomous Orthodox in America Excommunicate Leader in Ukraine

10.10.2005, [20:00] // Orthodox //

On 9 October 2005, RISU received a release from the press service of the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America regarding the excommunication of Patriarch Moisei, head of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church-Canonical. The full text of the statement follows.

AUTONOMOUS UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA

OFFICES OF THE HOLY SYNOD

UKASE [Order] OF EXCOMMUNICATION OF OLEH KULYK

+ IOAN, by the grace of God and Apostolic consecration, Bishop in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Orthodox Church of our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ, and Major Archbishop of the Archdiocese of the United States, Prime Bishop of the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America and President of the Holy Synod:

TO ALL THE FAITHFUL IN CHRIST:
GRACE, PEACE AND APOSTOLIC BENEDICTION.

BE IT KNOWN TO ALL WHO READ THESE, OUR LETTERS CANONICAL, that We, acting under the Protection of Almighty God and by virtue of Our Office, according to the Holy Canons, traditions and Statutes of the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America, declare in the name of the Holy Synod:

The defrocked Oleh Kulyk (formerly known in religion as “Patriarch Moisei”), notwithstanding the formal canonical warning of 18 July last and the repeated appeals to him to desist from his heretical belief in and public teaching of reincarnation, has performed schismatical acts by the episcopal consecration of one bishop under canonical age and the ordination of deacons and priests, without synodal mandate and contrary to the will of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church - Canonical (now known, by amendment, as the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America), and has, therefore, incurred the penalty of excommunication.

In addition to the aforesaid, the Holy Synod denounces the following acts of Oleh Kulyk:

1. his proclamation of himself as Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine, without full Synodal approval and with deception of certain members of the Holy Synod;

2. his sacrilegious abuse of the Sacred Mysteries of the Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by placing the Sacred Mysteries in antimensia which he distributed, telling individual priests and bishops that these selfsame antimensia contained the relics of saints;

3. his re-ordination of Bishops previously ordained by validly ordained Bishops;

4. his recent illegal use of our jurisdiction’s Articles of Incorporation in an attempt to register his group of Faithful in certain areas of Ukraine, even though his name nowhere appears in the Articles of Incorporation as Amended;

5. his continued use of the name “Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church - Canonical,” a legal entity incorporated in the United States of America, to which he has neither a legal nor historical claim and

6. his libelous and slanderous remarks about some Bishops and/or Priests of our jurisdiction, remarks lacking any basis and/or foundation in reality.

Having taken into account all the juridical effects, We declare that the above-mentioned Oleh Kulyk has incurred ipso facto excommunication latae sententiae, reserved to the Holy Synod of the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America (formerly known as the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church-Canonical).

The priests, deacons and faithful are warned not to support the schism of Oleh Kulyk, otherwise they shall themselves incur ipso facto the very grave penalty of excommunication. We further warn those ordained by Oleh Kulyk to any Order of the Priesthood after July 18, 2005 that they have been ordained by an individual adjudged to be a heretic, thereby rendering their ordinations and all sacramental acts null and void.

In faith and testimony whereof We hereby affix our Sign Manual and Seal and the Seal of the Holy Synod at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on this 9th day of October, in the year of our Lord 2005, in the first year of Our Episcopate and the first year of Our election as Prime Bishop and President of the Holy Synod.

+IOAN
Prime Bishop
Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America

Ukase No. U2405

Source: press service of the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America