His Holiness Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine Filaret has supported the appeal of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to recognize the independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).
The creation of an independent unified Ukrainian Orthodox Church will be on the agenda of the Verkhovna Rada's Thursday session, according to the TV news service TSN.
Ukrainian lawmakers are expected to vote for the Patriarch Filaret's appeal to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to recognize the independence of the Ukrainian Church.
Read alsoUPDATE: Ukraine asks Constantinople to allow creation of independent Ukrainian Orthodox ChurchMetropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Makariy, Primate of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, has supported the move, having joined the appeal to Patriarch Bartholomew.
Poroshenko also held a meeting with head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) Metropolitan Onufriy and told him about his arrangements with Patriarch Bartholomew in Istanbul.
