The diplomats reaffirm their support for the ability of Ukrainians to worship as they choose, without external influence.
The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine has greeted the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) on the second anniversary of receiving the tomos of autocephaly.
"Congratulations to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine on the second anniversary of receiving the Tomos of Autocephaly! We support Ukrainians' ability to worship as they choose, without external influence," the U.S. diplomats wrote on Facebook.
Orthodox Church of Ukraine: Background
The Unification Council of members of the Ukrainian Orthodox churches in Kyiv on December 15, 2018, elected Metropolitan of Pereyaslavsky and Bila Tserkva from the then Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate Epifaniy (also known as Epiphanius I) as head of the new local Orthodox Church in Ukraine.
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In 2019, the OCU was recognized by the Greek Orthodox Church and the Alexandrian Patriarchate. In 2020, it was recognized by the Cypriot Orthodox Church.
On February 3, 2020, Metropolitan Epiphanius said the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine was being recognized by more local Orthodox churches despite pressure from the Russian Orthodox Church.