Head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) Filaret says the convocation of the Unification Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox churches depends on the Ecumenical Patriarch.
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"The holding of the council depends on the Ecumenical Patriarch," he said at a press conference in Kyiv, adding that the UOC-KP hopes this council will be convened in the near future, an UNIAN correspondent has reported.
"We cannot announce the date of this council's convocation as it depends on the Ecumenical Patriarch," Filaret said.
As UNIAN reported earlier, on October 11, following a meeting of the Synod, a decision was announced, stating that the Ecumenical Patriarchate proceeds to granting autocephaly to the Church of Ukraine.
In addition, the legal binding of the Synod's letter of 1686 was abolished, thus taking the Kyiv Metropolis from under Moscow's canonical jurisdiction. Also, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) Filaret and head of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) Makariy were reinstated in their canonical status.
On October 12, the UOC-KP urged the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) to prepare for a special unification council.
