The Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine Filaret says the Ukrainian local Orthodox Church may receive autocephaly in July.
After the Ecumenical Patriarchate grants its Tomos to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and several bishops and local churches of the Moscow Patriarchate will unite in a single local church.
"There are all hopes that in the near future, I think this will be in July, we will get the Tomos and autocephaly," Filaret said, Channel 24 reports.
By the way, on May 31, twelve bishops of the Patriarchate of Constantinople will consider the issue.
Read alsoKyiv Patriarch seeks international protection for his Orthodox church in occupied DonbasAs UNIAN reported earlier, Poroshenko announced on April 17 that heads of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate and Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church had decided to officially appeal to Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I for autocephaly.
On April 19, Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, adopted a resolution in support of the appeal by President Petro Poroshenko to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I to recognize the independence of Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).
First three Presidents of independent Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk, Leonid Kuchma, and Viktor Yushchenko supported an initiative of incumbent president Petro Poroshenko to create an independent local Orthodox church in Ukraine.
