Metropolitan Volodymyr (Viktor Sabodan)
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Metropolitan Volodymyr or Vladimir (secular name Viktor Sabodan), officially His Beatitude Vladimir Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine, is the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) (UOC(MP)) currently the only Ukrainian church to have canonical standing (legal recognition) in Eastern Orthodoxy world-wide.
He was elected by the Kharkiv Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and enthroned as an UOC(MP) leader in 1992, replacing Metropolitan Filaret who was excommunicated for "schismatic activities".
Viktor Sabodan was born on November 23, 1935 in a peasant family in Khmelnytskyi region. His childhood passed during terrible years of the World War II and persecution of the Church influencing the character of future Metropolitan Vladimir, taught him to stand with fortitude for the Body of Christ and faith.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s he studied at Odessa and later Leningrad Theological Seminary.
In 1965 he completed the post-graduate course at the Moscow Theological Academy and was appointed Rector of the Odessa Theological Seminary and elevated to the rank of Archimandrite. In 1966 he was appointed Deputy Head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission to Jerusalem.
In 1969 he was nominated Bishop of Chernihiv and temporary administrator of Sumy Diocese. On September 9, 1973 he was elevated to the rank of Archbishop of Moscow Diocese and Rector of the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary.
On 16 July 1982 he was appointed to Rostov-on-Don Diocese and is elevated to the rank of Metropolitan. From 1984 he is Patriarchal Exarch of the Western Europe, and from 1987 —permanent member of the Holy Synod, Chancellor of Moscow Patriarchate.
He is the author of numerous research papers on theology. Majority of them were included into the six-volume edition of his works published in 1997-1998.
Metropolitan Volodymir was awarded Yaroslav the Wise (Fifth Class) state order in 2000 by the Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma.
Metropolitan Volodymyr enjoys singing and collects recordings of Ukrainian folk songs as well as stamps and postcards. He has no objections to a good meal.
