Poroshenko: Constantinople begins procedures to allow creation of independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church
The Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (in Constantinople) has received a request from Ukrainian President Poroshenko to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to issue a Tomos of Autocephaly (document of independence) to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. The motion is supported by a Verkhovna Rada decree and appeals from other hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The decision has been made to begin the procedures necessary to grant the Ukrainian Orthodox Church autocephaly, and other local orthodox churches will be notified accordingly. This was announced on the official website of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine.
At Poroshenko’s instruction, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Rostyslav Pavlenko visited Istanbul on April 20, where he delivered the Ukrainian President’s request to His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
Pavlenko also gave the patriarch the Verkhovna Rada decree in support of the request.
“Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was also given a request from the hierarchs of the Ukrainian orthodox churches to grant a Tomos of Autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine,” the report states.
On April 17, 2018, Poroshenko announced his intention to ask Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, to issue a Tomos on the unity of the local Orthodox Church in Ukraine, and urged the Verkhovna Rada to support his initiative as soon as possible. He said that if there is a corresponding ruling by the Verkhovna Rada, as well as requests from the president and the church hierarchs, the motion would be presented to the Ecumenical Patriarch.
On April 19, 268 Ukrainian MPs voted in favor of the president’s motion.