OCA represented at celebration in Ukrainian capital
With the blessing of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, Archimandrite Zacchaeus, representative of the Orthodox Church in America to the Moscow Patriarchate, participated in the 15th anniversary celebration of the historic Kharkiv Hierarchical Council at the Monastery of the Caves here June 1-3, 2007.
It was at this council 15 years ago that His Beatitude, Metropolitan Volodymyr was elected Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine.
Archimandrite Zacchaeus delivered to Metropolitan Volodymyr the official greetings of Metropolitan Herman and an icon of the Holy Trinity to Metropolitan Volodymyr on behalf of the faithful of the Orthodox Church in America.
On Saturday, June 2, Metropolitan Volodymyr, the episcopate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and representatives of the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches blessed the cornerstone for the soon-to-be-constructed Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ. In attendance were were Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko and Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich.
On Sunday, June 3, Metropolitan Volodymyr, together with His Beatitude, Metropolitan Christopher of Prague, Primate of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, concelebrated an open air Divine Liturgy with nearly the entire episcopate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and representatives of the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches before the monastery’s main cathedral. Following the Divine Liturgy, Metropolitan Volodymyr awarded several bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the representatives of the Autocephalous Churches with commemorative citations and medals.
All Autocephalous Orthodox Churches, with the exception of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, were represented at the anniversary celebration.