Metropolitan Symeon (also

romanized Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...

''Simeon''; born Volodymyr Ivanovych Shostatsky, Володимир Іванович Шостацький) is a bishop of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and a member of its Holy Synod. He was born on November 3, 1962 in the village of Raykivtsi in the Khmelnytsky district of the Khmelnytsky region in UkraineMetropolitan Symeon Biography
at official UOC-MP site. Retrieved July 6, 2018. Together with Metropolitan of

Pereyaslav-Khmelnytsky Pereiaslav ( uk, Перея́слав, translit=Pereiaslav, yi, פּרעיאַסלעוו, Periyoslov) is a historical city in the Boryspil Raion, Kyiv Oblast (Oblast, province) of central Ukraine, located near the confluence of Alta River, Alta ...

, he joined the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. He had previously been a member of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), where in 1996, he was consecrated as the Metropolitan Bishop of Vinnytsia and Bar.Historic unification of Ukrainian Orthodox Church
by Tadeusz A. Olszański // Center of Eastern Studies. December 17, 2018.

Life

Volodymyr Ivanovych Shostatsky was born to a peasant family on November 3, 1962 in the village of Raykivtsi in the Khmelnytsky district of the Khmelnytsky region. In 1980 he graduated from high school and served in the army until 1982. From 1983 to 1987 he studied at the Vinnytsia Medical Institute, and from 1987 to 1991 at the Moscow Theological Seminary.

In the UOC (MP)

On December 6, 1990, in the Moscow Danilov Monastery, he became a monk named Symeon (Russian pronunciation: ''Simeon'') in honor of Simeon Stylites. On January 14, 1991, he was ordained to the rank of hierodeacon, on April 28 he was omade hieromonk. From 1990 to 1994 he was a caretaker at the Patriarchal Residence in the Moscow Danilov Monastery. In 1994 he became a sacrist in the

Kiev Pechersk Lavra Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra or Kyivo-Pechers’ka Lavra ( uk, Києво-Печерська лавра, translit=Kyievo-Pecherska lavra, russian: Киево-Печерская лавра), also known as the Kyiv Monastery of the Caves, is a historic Mon ...

and entered the

Kiev Theological Academy The Kiev Theological Academy (1819—1919) was one of the oldest higher educational institution of the Russian Orthodox Church, situated in Kyiv, then in the Russian Empire (now Kyiv, Ukraine). It was considered as the most senior one among simila ...

. On April 7, 1995, he was ordained to the rank of

igumen Hegumen, hegumenos, or igumen ( el, ἡγούμενος, trans. ), is the title for the head of a monastery in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, similar to the title of abbot. The head of a convent of nuns is called a hegumenia ...

(abbot), on November 23 of the same year he was made archimandrite. On May 4, 1996, he was ordained bishop of Volodymyr-Volynskyi and

Kovel Kovel (, ; pl, Kowel; yi, קאוולע / קאוולי ) is a city in Volyn Oblast (province), in northwestern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Kovel Raion (district). Population: Kovel gives its name to one of the oldest runi ...

, head of the newly formed Volodymyr-Volynskyi diocese. On May 10, 2002, he was promoted to the rank of

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

. On July 9, 2011, he was promoted to the rank of

metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

. Metropolitan Symeon was the only one out of 83 members of the Council of UOC (MP) (November 13, 2018, Kiev Pechersk Lavra), who did not sign the resolution for breaking the communion between UOC (MP) and

Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople ( el, Οἰκουμενικὸν Πατριαρχεῖον Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, translit=Oikoumenikón Patriarkhíon Konstantinoupóleos, ; la, Patriarchatus Oecumenicus Constanti ...

.Metropolitan Symeon was the only one who did not accept a resolution of the Council of UOC (MP) (in Russian)
// LB.ua. November 13, 2018.

In the Orthodox Church of Ukraine

On December 15, 2018, he participated in the Unity Council and the creation of a local autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine. He was one of the candidates for the position of primate, but in the elections lost to the metropolitan of the former UOC-KP Epifaniy, taking second place according to the results of voting. He received 28 votes against 36 for Epifaniy,Unity Council: Intrigue was Revealed (in Ukrainian)
// Narodna-pravda.ua. December 16, 2018. that means he has a support inside UOC-KP and

UAOC The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC; uk, Українська автокефальна православна церква (УАПЦ), Ukrayinska avtokefalna pravoslavna tserkva (UAPC)) was one of the three major Eastern Ortho ...

, because there were only 2 bishops from MP who participated in voting. Together with the former primates of UOC-KP

Filaret (Denysenko) Patriarch Filaret (secular name ''Mykhailo Antonovych Denysenko'', born 23 January 1929) is a Ukrainian religious leader, currently serving as the primate and Patriarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate. The Orthodox Church o ...

and UAOC Macariy (Maletych) he became a lifelong member of the Holy Synod of the newly formed church. After joining

OCU OCU may mean: *Ohio Christian University *Oklahoma City University *Operational conversion unit, a unit in an air force *Operational Command Unit, a unit in a police force *Operator Control Unit, a hardware or software control interface for an auto ...

in December he predicted slow but large-scale move of MP clergy to the newly formed church. He said about MP clergy position in case of joining OCU: As of January 24, 2019, "more than 30" MP parishes joined the diocese of metropolitan Symeon of Vynnytsa and Bar, Ukraine in OCU.In Vinnytsia Region Another 2 Parishes Had Joined OCU (in Ukrainian)
// Religious Information Service of Ukraine. January 24, 2019.

References

{{reflist

External links

Historic unification of Ukrainian Orthodox Church
by Tadeusz A. Olszański // Center of Eastern Studies. December 17, 2018.
In Vinnytsia Region Another 2 Parishes Had Joined OCU (in Ukrainian)
// Religious Information Service of Ukraine. January 24, 2019.
Metropolitan Symeon Biography (in Ukrainian)
at official UOC-MP site. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
Metropolitan Symeon Predicts Large-Scale Move of Clergy to OCU
// Religious Information Service of Ukraine. December 24, 2018.

// LB.ua. November 13, 2018. Bishops of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Ukrainian Orthodox metropolitan bishops 1962 births Living people People from Khmelnytskyi Oblast Recipients of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 4th class