Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) Primate to be elected in Kyiv Pechersk Lavra

The Bishops Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate will elect a new Church Primate in Kyiv on August 13. The new Primate will be enthroned on August 17.

The election will take place at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, in the refectory of the Church of Saint Anthony and Theodosius. The ballot will be secret and the names of all the 74 acting bishops will be put on vote. Nine freelance bishops, who are currently inactive, will attend the Council meeting.

There will be two rounds in the election. First, three candidates will be chosen from amongst 74 bishops, and the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate will be chosen from the three candidates in the second round.

It is expected that the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate will be elected within one day, on August 13.

The Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate decided on August 12 that the new Primate would be enthroned in the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra on August 17.

Experts have mentioned several candidates for the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, primarily, Metropolitan Onufriy of Chernivtsi and Bukovyna, who had been the Locum Tenens of the Metropolitan See of Kyiv since February. There is an opinion this candidate is favored by many because he is not involved in politics and is extremely cautious, the experts said.

The candidacy of Metropolitan Simeon of Vinnytsia and Bar, who is believed to be close to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, has been suggested recently.

Other possible candidates are Metropolitan Hilarion of Donetsk and Mariupol, Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary and Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Vicar, Metropolitan Pavlo of Vyshgorod and Chornobyl.

Metropolitan Onufriy of Chernivtsi and Bukovyna was elected the Locum Tenens of the Metropolitan See of Kyiv on February 24, 2014.

The Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Volodymyr (Sabodan) of Kyiv and all Ukraine died in the morning of July 5. He was the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate from 1992 to 2014.

The Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate decided on July 7 that a new Primate would be elected on August 13.