Kiev, August 18, 2014
On August 17, the enthronization of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and All Ukraine took place during the Divine Liturgy at the Kiev Laura of the Dormition. He was elected Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church by the UOC Council of Bishops on August 13.
The service, which was held in public in the square at the Cathedral of the Dormition, was attended by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk as representative of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, and representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches of Constantinople, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Georgia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, the Czech Lands of Slovakia, as well as representatives of the Orthodox Church in America, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and bishops and clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
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During the Lesser Entrance, Metropolitan Agafangel of Odessa and Ismail, the oldest consecrated member of the UOC Holy Synod, read out the decision of the UOC Council of Bishops on the election of Metropolitan Onufry as His Beatitude Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine, and Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, read out the letter of recognition from His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia with the blessing for Metropolitan Onufry to assume the office of the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
After the singing of “Thrice Holy…”, Metropolitan Onufry was thrice seated on the Metropolitan’s throne at the High Place.
After the service, Metropolitan Agafangel, speaking on behalf of the episcopate, clergy and laity of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, congratulated His Beatitude Onufry and presented him with the crosier of his predecessor, His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir.
Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk read out a congratulatory message from Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and presented Metropolitan Onufry with the Patriarchal gift, a bishop’s crosier.
After that, congratulatory messages were brought from the Ukrainian authorities and heads of Local Orthodox Churches.
UOC Official Website
