Annual Report. PATRIARCHAL CURIA UGCC 2019

27 UGCC Permanent Synod Besides an annual meeting of the Great Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, there are also quarterly meet- ings of the Permanent Synod — an executive committee that helps the Patriarch in leading the Church in the period between the Synods. The Permanent Synod consists of the Patriarch and four Bishops designated for a five-year term . Of these Bishops, three are elected by the Synod of Bishops and one is appointed by the Patriarch (CCEO can. 115). The Permanent Synod is convoked and presided over by the Head of the Church. "The Permanent Synod’s goals are manifold," noted His Beatitude Sviatoslav. "We usually have our inter- nal agenda. We discuss and decide how to resolve particular Church issues. We as a Synod meet a few times a year, but once a year, bishops of the Synod visit local Church communities to listen to the people in order to understand the authentic reality of our global Church. We always meet with representatives of the state authorities and leaders of Roman Catholic communities as the heart of local life." In 2019 for the first time in history the Permanent Synod of Bishops met in Washington, DC in the United States. There were 4 meetings of the Permanent Synod of UGCC Bishops convoked in 2019: February 11-14 (Kyiv); May 27-29 (Lviv); September 10-12 (Rome) and December 9-11 (Washington, DC). Members of the Permanent Synod of Bishops in 2019 (from left to right): Bishop Bohdan Danylo, Eparch of Parma (USA); Metropolitan Eugene Popowicz, Archbishop of Przemyśl-Warsaw (Poland); His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halych, Head of the UGCC; Metropolitan Borys Gudziak, Archbishop of Philadelphia (USA); Bishop Teodor Martyniuk, Auxiliary Bishop of Ternopil-Zboriv (Ukraine) and Bishop Bohdan Dziurakh, Secretary of the Synod of Bishops (Ukraine).