Ukrainian Catholic Archiepiscopal Exarchate of Donetsk

The Ukrainian Catholic Archiepiscopal Exarchate of Donetsk (Latin: Archiepiscopi Exarchatus Doneckiensis) is one of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (Byzantine Rite, Ukrainian language)'s five Archiepiscopal Exarchate (Eastern Catholic pre-diocesan missionary jurisdiction under a Major Archbishop) in Eastern Ukraine.

Church of the Holy Mother of God, Donetsk

Monastery of the Heart of Christ, Zvanivka

Archiepiscopal Exarchate of Donetsk
Coat of arms of Donetsk exarchate
Location
Country	Ukraine
Territory	Eastern Ukraine (Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhya Oblasts)
Headquarters	Donetsk (temporary in Zaporizhya), Ukraine
Population	8,000
Information
Sui iuris church	Ukrainian Greek Catholic
Rite	Byzantine
Established	January 11, 2002
Cathedral	Catholic Cathedral in Donetsk
Current leadership
Pope	Leo XIV
Major Archbishop	Sviatoslav Shevchuk
Archiepiscopal Exarch	Maksym Ryabukha, S.D.B. Exarch of the Archiepiscopal Exarchate of Donetsk
Map

Its cathedral episcopal see is the Cathedral of the Virgin of Mercy, in Donetsk. There is a Basilian monastery at Zvanivka, in the north of Donetsk Oblast.

The first archiepiscopal exarch was Bishop Stepan Meniok, C.Ss.R., who retired in 2024. He was replaced by Bishop Maksym Ryabukha.

History

It was established on 11 January 2002 as the Archiepiscopal Exarchate of Donets’k – Kharkiv, on territory split off from the then Archiepiscopal Exarchate of Kyiv – Vyshhorod (which became the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Kyiv).

On 2 April 2014 the Exarchate was renamed as Ukrainian Catholic Archiepiscopal Exarchate of Donetsk, having lost territory to establish the Ukrainian Catholic Archiepiscopal Exarchate of Kharkiv.

Russian invasion

The Archeparchy was seriously affected by the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, as around half of its territory was taken by Russian forces. Bishop Maksym Ryabukha told pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need that "before the war we had over 80 parishes, and now we have only 37 active parishes. The rest were closed, occupied or destroyed." He went on to say that "the laws of the occupation force forbid any affiliation with the Catholic Church, either Greek-Catholic or Latin rite, and it is very difficult to provide any sort of ministry there. My exarchate no longer has any priests in these territories, all our churches have been destroyed, or they are closed and people are not allowed to attend them."

In the same interview^[1] he described himself as a "bishop on wheels", and described the state of mind of his faithful: "We feel helpless, because it is as if nobody sees what is happening. What hurts most is seeing that the world remains silent while civilian areas are bombed and people are killed. From a practical standpoint, we can’t see a significant response from the world. The only thing that gives us hope is that God is stronger than the evil we can find in the world."

Episcopal ordinaries

Archiepiscopal Exarch of Donetsk–Kharkiv

• Stepan Meniok, C.SS.R. (2002.01.11 – 2014.04.02 see below), Titular Bishop of Acarassus (2002.01.11 – ...)
  • Auxiliary Bishop Wasyl Ihor Medwit, O.S.B.M. (2009.03.17 – 2013.10.25), emeritus; previously Auxiliary Bishop of Lviv of the Ukrainians (Ukraine) (1994.03.30 – 1996.09.30), Titular Bishop of Hadriane (1994.03.30 – ...), Apostolic Visitor in Kazakhstan and Central Asia of the Ukrainians (1996.09.30 – 2002.10), Archiepiscopal Exarch of Kyiv–Vyshhorod of the Ukrainians (Ukraine) (1997.09.20 – 2004.12.06), Bishop of Curia of the Ukrainians (2004.12.06 – 2009.03.17)

Archiepiscopal Exarchs of Donetsk

• Stephan Meniok, C.SS.R. (see above 2014.04.02 – 2024.10.17)
• Maksym Ryabukha, S.D.B. (2024.10.17 – ...), Auxiliary Bishop of Donetsk (2022.09.19 – 2024.10.17),