Volodymyr I
Holiest Patriarch of Kyiv and all Rus-Ukraine
Memorial plaque to Patriarch Volodymyr on the facade of the Holy Protection Church in Kyiv
Native name
Володимир І
ChurchUkrainian Orthodox Church
SeeKyivan Patriarchate
Elected22 October 1993 (by All-Ukrainian Orthodox Assembly)
Installed24 October 1993 (at Saint Sophia's Cathedral)
Term ended14 July 1995
PredecessorMstyslav
SuccessorFilaret
Other post(s)
  • Locum tenens of Patriarchal throne, Metropolitan (1993)
  • Archbishop of Lviv and Sokal (Lviv diocese, 1993)
Orders
Ordination28 April 1990
by Ioan (Bodnarchuk)
Consecration29 April 1990
by Ioan (Bodnarchuk)
Personal details
Born
Vasyl Omelianovych Romanyuk

(1925-12-10)10 December 1925
Khymchyn, Kosiv county, Stanisławów Voivodeship, Poland
Died14 July 1995(1995-07-14) (aged 69)
Botanic Garden, Kyiv, Ukraine
BuriedSofia Square (Sofiyivska plochsha), Kyiv
NationalityUkrainian
DenominationEastern Orthodox
SpouseMaria Antonyuk
ChildrenTaras Romaniuk
Alma materMoscow Theological Academy

Volodymyr (secular name Vasyl Omelianovych Romaniuk, Ukrainian: Василь Омелянович Романюк; December 10, 1925, Khymchyn – July 14, 1995, Kyiv) was the Patriarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate. Initially consecrated as a bishop of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church by bishop Ioan in 1990, Volodymyr became one of the founders of the united Ukrainian Orthodox Church in June 1992.

Biography

He was an ex-political (member of OUN) prisoner who was imprisoned by communist Soviets for 17 years (1944–1954, 1972–1979). In 1979 he became a member of the Ukrainian Helsinki Group, was exiled from 1979 till 1982, and became a political emigrant at the end of the 1980s. On July 1, 1976 Volodymyr renounced his Soviet citizenship.[1]

Between 1987–1990, Vasyl Romaniuk lived in Canada and was a priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada. Also he served under the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, whose Metropolitan was Metropolitan Mstyslav (later Patriarch of Kyiv). In 1990 with the onset of Perestroyka and movement for revival of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, he returned to Ukraine.

In April of 1990 he was tonsured as an archimandrite selecting name of Volodymyr and next day consecrated as Bishop of Uzhhorod and Vynohradiv. His cheirotonia was carried out by Metropolitan of Lviv and Galicia Ioann (Bodnarchuk), bishop of Ternopil and Buchach Basil (Bondarchuk), bishop of Ivano-Frankivsk Andrew (Abramchuk), bishop of Chernivtsi Daniel (Kovalchuk). His speedy consecration of bishop was not something special and similar method was widely practiced in the Russian Orthodox Church.

For a short period, he was Archbishop of Lviv and Sokal.

In 1993, by the decree of Patriarch Mstyslav (Skrypnyk) he was excommunicated for accepting ordination from Metropolitan Filaret (Denysenko).

On October 22, 1993 he was elected Patriarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate. On July 14, 1995 Patriarch Volodymyr (Romaniuk) suddenly died under somewhat mysterious circumstances, with the official diagnosis being causes related to a heart attack.[2]

Volodymyr's burial, on July 18, 1995, turned into a riot.[3] The Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate, which controlled Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv (with support from the Kuchma Ukrainian Government), refused a request from the Kyiv Patriarchate Orthodox Church to bury him on the cathedral's grounds. Kyiv Patriarchate officials, flanked and supported by uniformed paramilitary guards of the UNA-UNSO nationalist movement, broke through the sidewalk asphalt outside the cathedral gates and buried him there. The Berkut riot police came out from the gates of the Cathedral and attacked the assembly and fighting with Volodymyr's supporters left about 100 people injured. Although an official inquiry was later made, no prosecutions were made. Many religious and faithful later called the event Black Tuesday.[2][4]

Patriarch Volodymyr (Romaniuk) was succeeded by Metropolitan Filaret (Denysenko) who was enthroned as Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus’ - Ukraine on October 22, 1995.

Awards

References

  1. ↑ Krainiy, I. Архібідняцька юність Патріарха. (in Ukrainian; archived 15 April 2015) "Ukrayina Moloda", accessed 25 June 2022
  2. 1 2 ""Чорний вівторок" : Похорон Патріарха Володимира - YouTube". Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  3. ↑ Rupert, James. Washington Post, "Ukraine Patriarch's Unruly Burial Brings Church-State Ties to a Low", accessed 20 April 2023.
  4. ↑ Ihor Melnyk (18 July 2015). "Кривавий похорон Патріарха". Збруч (Zbruc). Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  5. ↑ Decree of the President of Ukraine from 8 листопада 2006 year № 937/2006 «Про відзначення державними нагородами України засновників та активістів Української Громадської Групи сприяння виконанню Гельсінкських угод» (in Ukrainian)
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