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Lists of leaders of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

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For Roman Catholic bishops, see Bishop of Kyiv (Roman Catholic). For Eastern Orthodox metropolitans, see List of Metropolitans and Patriarchs of Kyiv.
Coat of arms of Major Archbishop Sviatoslav

This is a list of leaders of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (formerly known as the Ruthenian Uniate Church or the Uniate Church) which is a sui juris (particular church) of the Catholic Church that is in full communion with the Holy See. As an Eastern Catholic church, it uses the Byzantine rite in the Church slavonic and Ukrainian languages in its liturgies. Leaders have held several titles over the centuries. The modern primate of the church holds the position of a major archeparch (also styled as "major archbishop").

Due to historical circumstances (i.e. Russian occupation), the first hierarchs of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church held titles that did not mention the original metropolitan city of Kyiv. It is common for people to refer to the major archbishop as a "Primate". However, only Mykhailo Levitsky officially held that title which was granted by the Austrian Emperor as the Primate of Halychyna and Lodomeria, but not approved by the Pope.

Metropolitans in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth

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This is a list of metropolitans in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Union of Florence

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Metropolitans of Kiev, Galicia and all Rus'

Following the fall of Constantinople, the Union of Florence fell into abeyance.

Union of Brest

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Metropolitans of Kiev, Galicia and all Rus' of the Union of Brest:[1]

Partitions of Poland

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Upon the partitions of Poland, the church consisted of three territories: within the Russian Empire; within the Kingdom of Prussia; within the Austrian Empire.

Territory within the Russian Empire

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  • Heraklius Lisovskyj (1783 - death 30 August 1809)
  • Jan Krasovskyj (22 September 1809 - 1826)
  • Jakub Martusevych (1826 - death 26 January 1833)
  • Josaphat Bulhak (14 April 1833 - death 9 March 1838);
  • Symeon Młocki, O.S.B.M. (1779.09.19 – 1795)
  • Josafat Bułhak, O.S.B.M. (1798.10.12 – 1818.09.22),
  • Michał Mateusz Konstanty Stadnicki (1787.01.05 – 1795)
  • Stefan Lewiński (1797.06.26 – death 1806.01.23)
  • Hryhorij Koxanovyc (Grzegorz Kochanowicz) (1807 – 1814)
  • Jakub Martusiewicz (1817 – 1826),
  • Josyf Lepkovskyj (1771.03.14 – death 1778)

In 1807 the Russian Empire appointed its own primates for the Ruthenian Uniate Church without the permission of the Pope.[1]

Following the Synod of Polatsk (1838), the Ruthenian Uniate Church was forcibly abolished on the territory of the Russian Empire.[citation needed] Its property and clergy were transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. The only exception to this was the Eparchy of Chełm which lasted until May 1875 before its faithful were forcibly converted and its property seized by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Territory within the Kingdom of Prussia

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It had only three incumbents :

Territory within the Austrian Empire

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Those eparchies that ended up within the Habsburg monarchy were reorganized. The Eparchy of Lviv was elevated to an archeparchy and its bishop became a metropolitan bishop governing the rest of the eparchies of the former Ruthenian Uniate Church. The new metropolis received the name of Galicia (Halych)[a], an echo of the 14th century Metropolis of Halych. Only these hierarchs were recognised by the Holy See; those created by the Russian state were not recognised.

  • Archeparchy of Lviv, Metropolitan of Galicia
  • Eparchy of Przemyśl and Sambir

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

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Major Archbishop of Lviv

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  • Josyf III (Josyf Slipyj) (1963–1984, in exile)

In 1963 the Archbishop of Lviv was elevated to the rank of Major archbishop.

Major Archbishop of Lviv and Metropolitan of Galicia

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With fall of the Soviet Union, the title of "Metropolitan of Galicia" (Halych) was revived in 1991.

Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Galicia

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On 25 November 1995, the Archiepiscopal Exarchate of Kyiv-Vyshhorod was created under the jurisdiction of Archeparchy of Lviv. Originally, it covered all central, eastern and southern parts of Ukraine. Later (2002-2003), it lost territory to form new exarchates for the eastern and southern regions. On 6 December 2004, the remaining central region of the Exarchate was transformed into the Archeparchy of Kyiv. Since the "Synod of Polotsk" in 1838, Kyiv had been deprived of its own see. At the same time, an ecclesiastical province or "major archeparchy" was erected. The Archeparchy of Kyiv became the principal see of the newly created Major Archeparchy of Kyiv-Halych, and thus a primatial see of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.[2] The episcopal seat of the "Metropolis of Galicia" was transferred from St. George's Cathedral in the city of Lviv to the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in the capital city of Ukraine — Kyiv.

Notes

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  1. ^ The name "Galicia" is a Latinized form of Halych, one of several regional principalities of the medieval state of Kievan Rus'.

References

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  1. ^ a b Pelesz, Julian (1881). Geschichte der Union der ruthenischen Kirche mit Rom. Woerl. pp. 1083–84.
  2. ^ Catholic Hierarchy: Archdiocese of Kyiv (Ukrainian)
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