Yosyf Shumlyansky

Yosyf Shumlyansky fought with Jan Sobieski in the defense of Vienna. In 1667, he was elected as Orthodox bishop of Lviv, but the see was contested until 1676.

When Yosyf was elected Orthodox bishop, the bishop of Przemyśl, Antonii, opposed him. Also, the Lviv fraternity opposed the candidacy, preferring instead their candidate Jeremiah, who was also ordained. On 1 February 1668, Yosyf Shumlyansky was ordained as Bishop of Lviv by Metropolitan Sophronius of Philippopolis, Exarch of Macedonia, Metropolitan Theophane of Chios and Cyclades, and bishop Daniel. There was a fierce struggle between the two bishops, Yosyf and Antonii, which lasted about five years. Only with the accession of Jan Sobieski to the Polish throne, a personal friend of Yosyf, did the latter manage to defeat his opponent.

In 1675, as Bishop of Lviv, he was appointed administrator to the Diocese of Kyiv. In 1677, after contacts with the papal nuncio in Warsaw, Yosyf Shumlyansky adopted Catholicism. At a locale council in 1700, Yosyf and the clergy of his diocese joined the Union of Brest under the leadership of the Metropolitan of Kiev, Galicia and all Ruthenia — Lev Zalenskyj. The Lviv brotherhood first refused to follow the bishop and tried to remain Orthodox, but eventually relented and in 1708 also joined the union, directly subordinated to the Roman Curia.

Shumlyansky instructed the clergy to keep metrics, and he published instructions on how to behave in the church and outside it.

Shumlyansky was acquainted with the Hetmans Petro Doroshenko and Ivan Mazepa.

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