The Resolutions of the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church 2026
DECREE
Вих. ВА 26/278
To the glory of the Holy, Consubstantial, Life-giving and Undivided Trinity,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and for the good of the people of God entrusted to us. Amen
BY DIVINE GRACE
AND IN FULL COMMUNION
WITH THE ROMAN APOSTOLIC SEE
SVIATOSLAV,
Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halych
of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
To the Most Reverend Archbishops and Bishops,
Reverend clergy, venerable monks and nuns
and the laity of the particular Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church
I DECLARE AND PROMULGATE
The Resolutions of the
Synod of Bishops
of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
Zarvanytsia, July 1–10, 2025 A. D.
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To take into consideration the state of implementation of the decisions of the 2025 Synod of Bishops of the UGCC.
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To hold the UGCC Churchwide Forum on November 7, 2026.
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To approve the text of the Archieratikon and Hierarchical Book of Needs (Trebnyk).
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To bless the publication of the Molytvoslov, in accordance with the Guidelines for adapting the new Molytvoslov to liturgical texts, approved by the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC.
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To bless for publication the updated prayer book «Come Let Us Worship» (Pryjdite poklonimsia).
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To take into consideration the report on social ministry in the UGCC and to express gratitude to those who carry out social ministry and provide support to those suffering from the war.
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To take into consideration the report of the General Director of the Administration of Justice of the UGCC on the state of judicial proceedings in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
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To promulgate the Code of Canons of the UGCC in its entirety.
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To express gratitude to Metropolitan Yevhen Popovych, to members of the Working Group for the Code of Canons of the UGCC, and to the bishops of the synodal Working Group for the Code of Canons of the UGCC.
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To establish that the Code of Canons of the UGCC will be in effect six months from the day of its promulgation.
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In order to ensure appropriate spiritual, human, and pastoral accompaniment of persons who recognize their vocation to serve God and the Church:
On a Church-wide level:
1) To express gratitude to parents and family members, who have recognized in their children the gift of a vocation to the priesthood or consecrated life, and supported them in this choice;
2) To ask parents whose children express a desire to dedicate themselves to priestly ministry or consecrated life:
a) to be open to the gift of vocation, to support their children in the process of discerning God’s will and not to discourage them from this choice;
b) to pray that this choice may serve the glory of God, the spiritual good of the child and the good of the Church and the people;
3) To introduce a Week of Prayer for Vocations to Priestly Ministry and Consecrated Life, beginning with the Feast of the Presentation of the Most Holy Theotokos (November 21);
4) To mandate the Patriarchal Commission for Clergy Affairs and the Patriarchal Commission for Monasticism, in cooperation with the Pastoral Council of the UGCC, to develop a program of initiatives for the Week of Prayer for Vocations to Priestly Ministry and Consecrated Life;
5) To introduce a Church-wide annual celebration of the Day of the Teenager on the day of the Holy Martyrs Faith, Hope, Charity and their mother Sophia (September 17);
6) To mandate the Patriarchal Commission for Youth, in cooperation with the Patriarchal Catechetical Commission, the Patriarchal Commission for Family and Laity Affairs and the Pastoral Council of the UGCC, to develop a concept for the Day of the Teenager;
7) To instruct seminary rectors to a more profound analysis of the spiritual and psychological state of contemporary youth and seminarians, taking into account the challenges caused by the war, a family crisis, and the virtualization of interpersonal relationships, and accordingly improve the content and methods of the formation process;
8) To instruct the Patriarchal Commission for Clergy Affairs and the Patriarchal Commission for Monasticism in cooperation with the Patriarchal Catechetical Commission and the Patriarchal Commission for Youth Affairs in cooperation with the Pastoral Council of the UGCC, taking into account the documents «Directives for Fostering Spiritual Vocations in the UGCC» (2012) and «A Program for Vocations Ministry to the Consecrated Life in the UGCC» (2019), to develop common directives for effective vocations ministry, which will include:
a) fostering a culture of vocations in families and parishes;
b) spiritual accompaniment and formation of children, adolescents and youth;
c) discernment of vocations to consecrated life and priestly ministry;
d) forms of witnessing of seminarians, clergy and consecrated persons about their vocation during catechesis and in meetings of youth communities;
9) To mandate the Patriarchal Commission for Clergy Affairs and the Patriarchal Commission for Monasticism, in cooperation with the Pastoral Council of the UGCC, to develop programs for the formation of vocations directors;
10) to mandate the Patriarchal Commission for Monasticism to organize conferences of consecrated persons dedicated to the current state of their lives and their mission in the Church and the modern world;
11) to instruct the Ukrainian Catholic University, in cooperation with the Patriarchal Commission for Clergy Affairs, the Patriarchal Commission for Monasticism Affairs, and the Pastoral Council of the UGCC, to establish a Formation Institute.
II. At the eparchial level:
A. To mandate eparchial bishops to:
1) develop and foster a culture of vocations in the eparchy;
2) to instruct the relevant commissions and structures to include in their work and activities the topic of vocations to priestly ministry and consecrated life;
3) appoint an eparchial Vocations Director, if this has not yet been done;
4) introduce systematic monitoring of vocations at the eparchy level;
5) instruct seminary rectors to ensure the active involvement of seminarians in vocations ministry, in particular, through service in parishes, participation in youth communities and camps, as well as through personal witnessing about the path of their vocation to discipleship in Christ;
6) instruct seminary rectors to prepare and publish information booklets and motivational video materials about studies and everyday life in seminaries.
III. At the parish level:
To mandate parish clergy to:
1) care for new vocations to priestly ministry and consecrated life through prayer and living witnessing about their own vocation;
2) recognize and nurture the «seeds» of these vocations;
3) reveal in sermons, catechesis and on other occasions the beauty of Christian discipleship, in particular, the vocation to priestly and consecrated life;
4) reveal the previous value of consecrated life in the UGCC by inviting consecrated persons to living witnessing of their vocation and by visiting their communities;
5) regularly hold thematic meetings, vocation days, retreats, days of spiritual renewal, as well as educational and recreational camps for different age groups;
6) support and accompany individuals, who have sensed a vocation in adulthood;
7) remember the clergy and consecrated persons whose vocation was «born» in the parish community, and to invite them to living witness in their «mother» parish;
8) distribute information booklets and motivational video materials in parishes on the program of study and everyday life in eparchial seminaries, as well as on communities of consecrated life.
IV. At the level of institutes of consecrated life:
A. To ask the major superiors of institutes of consecrated life to:
1) foster in their communities a culture of vocations to consecrated life and priestly ministry, praying persistently for this intention;
2) appoint, where this has not yet been done, a person responsible for Vocations Ministry;
3) create a favorable space for personal encounters between young people in consecrated communities;
4) ensure adequate personal accompaniment of those who are discerning their vocation;
5) organize regular formation meetings, retreats and days of spiritual renewal for young people.
B. To encourage consecrated persons to bear witness zealously and sacrificially to an authentic consecrated life, so that their ministry may become a living sign of God’s presence and an inspiration for the People of God.
12. To approve the Post-Synodal Pastoral Letter, taking into account proposed amendments and additions.
13. To take into account the report on the activities of the «Andrew’s Pence» Foundation.
14. To take into account the report on the activities of the Missionary Fund of the UGCC.
15. To take into account the report on the activities of the Church-wide Priestly Solidarity Fund.
16. To take into account the report on the activities of the Patriarchal Foundation of the UGCC «Wise Deed.»
17. To take into account the report on the activities and mission of the Ukrainian Catholic University.
18. To take into account the progress report on the beatification process of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky.
19. To take into account the report on the activities of the Pastoral Council of the Patriarchal Curia for the past year and the implementation of the Pastoral Plan of the UGCC for the period until 2030.
20. To take into account the report summaries of the commissions and departments on the patriarchal level for the past year.
21. To take into account the report on pastoral ministry in the Ordinariate for the faithful of the Eastern Rite in Spain, and to express gratitude to the Ordinary for his service, and to the Episcopate of Spain for its hospitality and care for the faithful of the UGCC.
22. To take into account the report on pastoral ministry in the Ordinariate for the faithful of the Eastern Rite in Austria, and to express gratitude to the Ordinary for his service, and to the Episcopate of Austria for its hospitality and care for the faithful of the UGCC.
23. To take into account the report on the state of pastoral ministry for Ukrainian Greek Catholics in Romania.
24. To establish «The Communication Strategy of the UGCC» as the main theme of the 2027 Synod of Bishops of the UGCC. To appoint Bishop Kenneth Nowakivsky, Head of the Pastoral Council of the Patriarchal Curia of the UGCC, as responsible for preparing the main theme.
25. To hold the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in Ukraine at the end of August 2027.
26. To approve the Communiqué of the 2026 Synod of Bishops of the UGCC.
† SVIATOSLAV,
Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halych
of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
† ANDRIY KHIMYAK,
Secretary of the Synod of Bishops
of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
Given in Kyiv,
at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ,
on the day of the Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel,
our venerable father Stephen the Sabbaite,
our holy father Julian, Bishop of Kenomane
on the 13th day of July in the 2026th year of our Lord