Exarchate of Crimea
About
The exarchate of Crimea is a part of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church with the center in Simferopol city. The exarchate covers the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the Sevastopol City Council which are illegally annexed by the Russian army. The total area is 26 100 km2and the amount of settlements is 1 024. According to statistical data from 2014, the population of the peninsula reaches 1,968,550 people. The exarchate includes one Crimean deanery.
According to statistical data from 2015, the exarchate of Crimea numbers 2,5 thousand of Catholics. 4 priests (1 eparchial and 3 hieromonks) carry out their ministry. Also, in the exarchate, there are consecrated to God persons. They are 3 monks and 1 nun. Pastoral ministry is concentrated around 5 parish communities.
Location
Bishop
From the moment of the exarchate’s establishment, namely, February 13, 2014, the Reverend Bishop Mykhaylo Bubniy was assigned as Exarch of Odesa and Administrator of the exarchate.
Because of the annexation of Crimea, church structures remain in the initial stages of development. Therefore, today there is no opportunity to talk about a cathedral or some contact information.
History
On July 28, 2003, the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, with the blessing of the Pope, established the Exarchate of Odesa-Crimea with its center in Odesa. The first Exarch became the Reverend Bishop Vasyl Ivasyuk. The exarchate included Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Kirovograd regions, and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
In 2014 because of the military invasion of the Russian army and illegal annexation of Crimea, the question of carrying out pastoral ministry on the occupied territories and creation of administrative church structures was raised. Therefore, on February 13, 2014, with the blessing of the Apostolic Capital, a new exarchate of Crimea was established with its seat in Simferopol.
Shrines
Among the shrines of the exarchate of Crimea, there is the Church of the Holy Trinity in Vidradne village (Bakhchisaray district, Autonomous Republic of Crimea) where the relics of St. Clement, the Pope, are kept. In the first century, to the preaching Gospel of Christ, he gave his life on the territory of today’s Crimean Peninsula.