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.

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),

Sources and external links

• Exarchate website
• GCatholic.org with incumbent biography links
• Profile at catholic-hierarchy.org

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